Palau (Republic of Palau)

https://www.humantruth.info/palau.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Palau Republic of Palau
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	110th best
Capital	Melekeok
Land Area	460km²₁
Location	Australasia, Micronesia
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	17 907₂
Life Expectancy	66.02yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$13 819 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	PW, PLW, 585₅
Internet Domain	.pw₆
Currency	Dollar (USD)₇
Telephone	+680₈

1. Overview

“After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986 but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year when the islands gained independence.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“You don´t have to get wet to enjoy Palau, but it helps. This tiny island country in the western Pacific Ocean is one of the world´s most spectacular diving and snorkelling destinations. Most tourists who come to the Republic of Palau like to spend their time underwater. This is among the world´s most spectacular diving and snorkelling destinations, featuring coral reefs, blue holes, WWII wrecks, hidden caves and tunnels, more than 60 vertical drop-offs, and an astonishing spectrum of coral, fish and rare sea creatures. There are also some outright miracles of evolution: giant clams that weigh a quarter of a ton, for example, and a lake teeming with 21 million softly pulsating, stingless jellyfish.
On land the republic embraces Micronesia´s richest flora and fauna: exotic birds fly, crocodiles slip through the swamps and orchids sprout profusely in backyards.
The Palauan archipelago encompasses the polyglot state of Koror; the marvellous Rock Islands; Micronesia´s second-largest island, Babeldaob (the land that Pacific Standard Time forgot); Peleliu, once war-ravaged, now just ravishing; tranquil, tiny Angaur; the coral atolls of Kayangel and Ngeruangel; and the remote South-West Islands.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Palau National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₁
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
78	Macedonia	0.770
79	China	0.768
80=	Moldova	0.767
80=	Palau	0.767
80=	Dominican Rep.	0.767
83	Cuba	0.764
84	Peru	0.762
85	Armenia	0.759
	Australasia Avg	0.70
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₁
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
83	Brazil	$14 370
84	Azerbaijan	$14 257
85	Albania	$14 131
86	Palau	$13 819
87	Grenada	$13 484
88	Gabon	$13 367
89	Ukraine	$13 256
90	Armenia	$13 158
	Australasia Avg	$12 519
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Denmark	27.0
2	Norway	29.9
3	Sweden	31.8
	...
107	Bahrain	91.1
108	Ghana	92.5
109	Guatemala	93.7
110	Palau	93.7
111	Kyrgyzstan	94.3
112	Botswana	94.5
113	Azerbaijan	95.0
114	Lebanon	95.0
	Australasia Avg	95.6
	World Avg	88.6
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Palau's Demographics and Migration

#health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #population

Population:

Palau's population is predicted to rise to 24 742 by 2030.

Population₂
Pos.		2018 Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
188	Marshall Islands	58 413
189	St Kitts & Nevis	52 441
190	Monaco	38 682
191	Liechtenstein	37 910
192	San Marino	33 785
193	Palau	17 907
194	Tuvalu	11 508
195	Nauru	10 670
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
141	Tanzania	66.2
142	Pakistan	66.1
143	Rwanda	66.1
144	Palau	66.0
145	Gabon	65.8
146	Guyana	65.7
147	Myanmar (Burma)	65.7
148	Papua New Guinea	65.4
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Migration:

Immigrants₁₃
Pos.		2017 %₁₃
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
18	Antigua & Barbuda	28.1%
19	Brunei	25.3%
20	Israel	23.6%
21	Palau	23.0%
22	New Zealand	22.7%
23	Canada	21.5%
24	Kazakhstan	20.0%
25	Austria	19.0%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants₁₄
Pos.		2010 %₁₄
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
11	Barbados	41.0%
12	Suriname	39.0%
13	Bosnia & Herzegovina	38.9%
14	Palau	38.8%
15	St Vincent & Grenadines	37.7%
16	Cape Verde	37.6%
17	Jamaica	36.1%
18	Armenia	28.2%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Palau's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #freethought #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #tolerance #women

Compared to Australasia (2025)₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₅
1	New Zealand	13.3
2	Australia	16.0
3	Kiribati	70.1
4	Marshall Islands	75.0
5	Tuvalu	76.7
6	Micronesia	78.2
7	Palau	80.7
8	Nauru	82.3
9	Fiji	87.1
10	Vanuatu	98.7
11	Samoa	100.4
12	Tonga	105.5
13	Solomon Islands	108.9
	Australasia Avg	79.23
q=14.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₅
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
85	El Salvador	79.5
86	Philippines	79.6
87	Moldova	80.6
88	Palau	80.7
89	Paraguay	80.8
90	Honduras	81.1
91	Suriname	81.5
92	Guatemala	81.5
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₁₆. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, N. Korea and Afghanistan₁₆.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₆, whereas the worst are Africa, The Middle East and Asia₁₆.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
9=	Dominica	1.0
9=	Portugal	1.0
9=	Slovenia	1.0
9=	Palau	1.0
9=	Czechia	1.0
9=	Finland	1.0
9=	New Zealand	1.0
9=	Netherlands	1.0
	Australasia Avg	1.8
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better₁₇
Pos.		2009 Treaties₁₇
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
187	Singapore	5
188=	Nauru	5
189	Marshall Islands	4
190=	Myanmar (Burma)	4
190=	Palau	4
190=	Malaysia	4
193	Bhutan	3
194=	Kiribati	3
	Australasia Avg	8.7
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better₁₈
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty₁₈
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
188	Kiribati	15.80
189	Solomon Islands	15.81
190	Nauru	16.16
191	Sao Tome & Principe	16.17
192	Tuvalu	16.33
193	Palau	16.34
194	Marshall Islands	16.34
195	Palestine	17.21
	Australasia Avg	14.35
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality:

See:

"Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
171	Guinea-Bissau	1977
172	Zimbabwe	1978
173=	Marshall Islands	1979
173=	Palau	1979
173=	Micronesia	1979
176	Iraq	1980
177=	Vanuatu	1980
178	Liechtenstein	1984
	Australasia Avg	1962
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice:

LGBT Equality Higher is better₁₉
Pos.		2017 Score₁₉
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
83=	Philippines	20
83=	Central African Rep.	20
83=	Sao Tome & Principe	20
83=	Palau	20
83=	Nauru	20
83=	Marshall Islands	20
83=	Guinea-Bissau	20
83=	Micronesia	20
	Australasia Avg	07.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better₂₀
Pos.		2021₂₀
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
19	Micronesia	1.8
20=	USA	1.8
20=	Slovenia	1.8
20=	Palau	1.8
20=	Burkina Faso	1.8
20=	Albania	1.8
20=	Kosovo	1.8
20=	S. Korea	1.8
	Australasia Avg	2.6
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Palau's Health

#health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #palau #parenting #population #vaccines

Compared to Australasia (2025)₂₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₁
1	Australia	49.3
2	New Zealand	51.2
3	New Caledonia	57.9
4=	French Polynesia	70.9
5	Fiji	96.7
6	Guam	99.3
7	Palau	101.7
8	Tonga	110.1
9	Tuvalu	112.1
10	Kiribati	117.2
11	Micronesia	122.8
12	Samoa	124.2
13	Vanuatu	125.3
	Australasia Avg	112.00
q=17.

Health (2025)₂₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₁
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
123	Kyrgyzstan	100.5
124	Algeria	100.7
125	El Salvador	101.3
126	Palau	101.7
127	Peru	101.8
128	Turkmenistan	102.7
129	Palestine	104.6
130	Bangladesh	106.5
	World Avg	96.74
q=212.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₂₂. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Angola and Nigeria₂₂.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans₂₂, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia₂₂.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Palau is a pretty unhealthy country. And finally, it does worse than average in its immunizations take-up₂₃, its adolescent birth rate₂₄ and in its average life expectancy₁₁. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years. Life expectancy in Palau improved by +3.2yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. In the 2010s, Palau was one of only 12 countries that saw their life expectancy drop, although only by a small amount. Although it has just a few data points each decade, its peak fertility rate was 2.84 in 1990.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
141	Tanzania	66.2
142	Pakistan	66.1
143	Rwanda	66.1
144	Palau	66.0
145	Gabon	65.8
146	Guyana	65.7
147	Myanmar (Burma)	65.7
148	Papua New Guinea	65.4
	Australasia Avg	70.11
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Overweight Adults Lower is better₂₅
Pos.		2016 %₂₅
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
184	Tonga	78.5
185	Kiribati	78.7
186	Niue	80.0
187	Tuvalu	81.9
188	Marshall Islands	83.5
189	Cook Islands	84.7
190	Palau	85.1
191	Nauru	88.5
	Australasia Avg	73.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better₂₄
Pos.		2022 Per 1000₂₄
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
109	Azerbaijan	40.1
110	Pakistan	41.2
111	Barbados	41.9
112	Palau	42.1
113	Palestine	42.9
114	Brazil	43.6
115	Egypt	43.6
116	Samoa	43.8
	Australasia Avg	40.2
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better₂₃
Pos.		2015 Avg %₂₃
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
101	France	92.6
102=	El Salvador	92.4
102=	Swaziland	92.4
104	Palau	92.4
105	Vietnam	92.3
106	Denmark	92.3
107	Azerbaijan	92.2
108=	Australia	92.1
	Australasia Avg	86.4
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Palau's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #internationalism #marshall_islands #over-exploitation #the_environment

Compared to Australasia (2025)₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₆
1	New Zealand	75.8
2	Australia	76.6
3	Fiji	89.1
	...
8	Kiribati	111.4
9	Micronesia	114.6
10	Cook Islands	119.6
11	Solomon Islands	121.6
12	Marshall Islands	123.1
13	Palau	124.5
14	Tuvalu	127.4
15	Niue	129.5
16	Nauru	134.4
	Australasia Avg	93.28
q=16.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₆
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
182	Zimbabwe	121.5
183	Solomon Islands	121.6
184	Marshall Islands	123.1
185	Palau	124.5
186	Grenada	125.0
187	Tuvalu	127.4
188	Tajikistan	128.6
189	Niue	129.5
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

" Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

One of the worst in Australasia Palau comes 15th-worst in the world regarding its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is calculated from 2 data sets. Palau does better than average for its forested percent change 2000-2020₂₇. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better₂₇
Pos.		Total₂₇
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
51	Thailand	4.7%
52	Poland	4.6%
53	Macedonia	4.6%
54	Palau	4.6%
55	Bhutan	4.5%
56	Morocco	4.2%
57	Lebanon	3.8%
58	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.6%
	Australasia Avg	0.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
187	S. Sudan	37%
188	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	36%
189	Bhutan	35%
190	Palau	34%
191	Angola	33%
192	Iraq	28%
193	San Marino	26%
194	Haiti	25%
	Australasia Avg	48.2%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Palau is one of only two eligible countries who could sign up for the protections of the Waigani Convention, but, have not (the other is Marshall Islands). It's particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and so, was one of the early adopters of the Kyoto Protocol in 1999 and one of the 19 countries that signed the Paris Agreement within the first few months in Q2 2016.

7. Palau's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to Australasia (2020)₂₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₈
1	New Zealand	15.2
2	Australia	16.6
3	Palau	47.4
4=	Tonga	62.0
5	Fiji	71.5
6	Samoa	99.8
7	Marshall Islands	111.1
8	Vanuatu	125.6
9	Kiribati	127.3
10	Micronesia	133.6
11	Tuvalu	138.2
12	Solomon Islands	154.5
13	Papua New Guinea	158.4
	Australasia Avg	97.01
q=13.

Modernity & Learning (2020)₂₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₈
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
38	Russia	44.3
39	Malta	45.9
40	Barbados	47.4
41	Palau	47.4
42	Ukraine	47.7
43	Bulgaria	47.8
44	Croatia	47.8
45	Liechtenstein	48.8
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₂₉. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₂₉. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₃₀.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”
Bill Emmott (2017)₃₁

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₂₉, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₂₉.

For more, see:

" Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education:

Secondary Education Higher is better₃₂
Pos.		2018₃₂
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
14	Slovenia	97.6%
15	Armenia	97.2%
16	Hungary	97.2%
17	Palau	97.1%
18	New Zealand	96.9%
19	Switzerland	96.5%
20	Moldova	96.4%
21	Germany	96.3%
	Australasia Avg	79.3%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better₃₃
Pos.		2021 Years₃₃
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
40	Estonia	15.9
41	Thailand	15.9
42	France	15.8
43	Palau	15.8
44	Russia	15.8
45	Kazakhstan	15.8
46	UAE	15.7
47	Barbados	15.7
	Australasia Avg	13.4
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Technology and Information:

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better₃₄
Pos.		2017 Ratio₃₄
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
157=	Brunei	0.0
157=	Aruba	0.0
157=	Bahrain	0.0
157=	Palau	0.0
157=	Equatorial Guinea	0.0
157=	Belize	0.0
157=	Suriname	0.0
157=	Grenada	0.0
	Australasia Avg	1.55
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₅:

Christian	86.7%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.8%
Folk Religion	0.8%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	1.2%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witnesses 0.9%, Mormon 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census)₃₆.

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems