Rural population growth in Palau
Palau: Rural population growth was -0.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Palau, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Palau recorded -0.5% for rural population growth in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.2% on the previous year and down 126.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Palau peaked at 4.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, -7.4%, in 2003.
That places Palau 140th out of 209 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth in Palau, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -1.0% | — |
| 1962 | -0.9% | -8.7% |
| 1963 | -0.9% | -5.5% |
| 1964 | -0.7% | -17.5% |
| 1965 | -0.7% | -2.1% |
| 1966 | -0.6% | -16.6% |
| 1967 | -1.2% | +105.3% |
| 1968 | -1.8% | +54.9% |
| 1969 | -1.8% | -3.8% |
| 1970 | -0.4% | -77.4% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | -445.7% |
| 1972 | 1.9% | +40.1% |
| 1973 | 1.5% | -22.6% |
| 1974 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1975 | -1.1% | — |
| 1976 | -1.1% | +3.0% |
| 1977 | -1.2% | +6.9% |
| 1978 | -1.3% | +10.3% |
| 1979 | -1.6% | +24.7% |
| 1980 | -1.6% | -2.5% |
| 1981 | -0.7% | -53.6% |
| 1982 | -0.7% | -5.4% |
| 1983 | -1.3% | +85.7% |
| 1984 | -1.2% | -4.1% |
| 1985 | -0.4% | -66.4% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | -288.5% |
| 1987 | 1.1% | +39.9% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | +17.4% |
| 1989 | 1.2% | -8.1% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | -10.4% |
| 1991 | 0.9% | -11.3% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -17.0% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | +10.2% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | +41.1% |
| 1995 | 1.9% | +62.4% |
| 1996 | 3.1% | +62.8% |
| 1997 | 4.2% | +33.8% |
| 1998 | 4.3% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | -15.9% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -50.6% |
| 2001 | -2.3% | -226.5% |
| 2002 | -5.7% | +152.9% |
| 2003 | -7.4% | +29.0% |
| 2004 | -6.9% | -5.8% |
| 2005 | -4.9% | -29.0% |
| 2006 | -4.5% | -8.8% |
| 2007 | -4.8% | +7.4% |
| 2008 | -4.6% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | -4.4% | -6.2% |
| 2010 | -4.0% | -9.0% |
| 2011 | -3.4% | -15.0% |
| 2012 | -2.5% | -24.9% |
| 2013 | -0.4% | -84.7% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | -656.6% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -25.0% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | -7.0% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -11.2% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | -25.3% |
| 2021 | -0.1% | -108.8% |
| 2022 | -0.3% | +233.9% |
| 2023 | -0.4% | +30.4% |
| 2024 | -0.5% | +31.3% |
| 2025 | -0.5% | +18.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -1.1% | -1.8% | -0.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | -0.2% | -1.6% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.2% | -1.6% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.2% | 0.8% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | -4.4% | -7.4% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.0% | -4.0% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.1% | -0.5% | 0.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Palau
More agriculture & rural data for Palau
- Rural population, per capita 0.2072 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 3,659 (2025)
- Rural population 20.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.7% (2018)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.2% (2018)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 2.73 (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 496.19 current US$ per person (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0273 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture share gdp 2.73 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Palau?
- Rural population growth in Palau was -0.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was -7.4% in 2003.
- How does Palau rank for rural population growth?
- Palau ranks 140th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is down 126.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Palau data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.