People using at least a basic drinking water source in Palau
Palau: People using at least a basic drinking water source was 17,612 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People using at least a basic drinking water source in Palau, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2024, people using at least a basic drinking water source in Palau stood at 17,612 people.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using at least a basic drinking water source in Palau peaked at 19,696 people in 2005 and was at its lowest, 17,553 people, in 2013.
That places Palau 219th out of 231 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People using at least a basic drinking water source in Palau, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 19,052 people | — |
| 2001 | 19,225 people | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 19,376 people | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 19,531 people | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 19,694 people | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 19,696 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 19,473 people | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 19,186 people | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 18,897 people | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 18,601 people | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 18,292 people | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 17,978 people | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 17,668 people | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 17,553 people | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 17,621 people | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 17,678 people | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 17,706 people | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 17,722 people | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 17,725 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 17,711 people | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 17,706 people | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 17,698 people | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 17,675 people | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 17,644 people | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 17,612 people | -0.2% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's 17,612 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.05 million people, 1% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Palau's 17,612 people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.22 million people, 1% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19,273 people | 18,601 people | 19,696 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 17,765 people | 17,553 people | 18,292 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 17,667 people | 17,612 people | 17,706 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Palau
- 216 Marshall Islands 32,834 people compare
- 217 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 30,675 people compare
- 218 Saint Martin (French part) 26,109 people compare
- 220 Anguilla 14,062 people compare
- 221 Cook Islands 13,672 people compare
- 222 Nauru 11,689 people compare
More environment data for Palau
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 14.18 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.167 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Cropland — Area per capita 0.13 ha/cap (2024)
- Cropland — Share in Land area 5 % (2024)
- Arable land — Area 0.3 1000 ha (2024)
- Arable land — Share in Agricultural land 6.98 % (2024)
- Permanent crops — Area 2 1000 ha (2024)
- Permanent meadows and pastures — Share in Agricultural land 46.51 % (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using at least a basic drinking water source in Palau?
- People using at least a basic drinking water source in Palau was 17,612 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest people using at least a basic drinking water source recorded in Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 19,696 people in 2005.
- What is the lowest people using at least a basic drinking water source recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 17,553 people in 2013.
- How does Palau rank for people using at least a basic drinking water source?
- Palau ranks 219th out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people using at least a basic drinking water source rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Palau data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of People using at least a basic drinking water source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people using an improved drinking water source, which is either available on premises, or collection time is no more than 30 minutes for a roundtrip.