Palau: cities by population
Palau has a population of 17,614 (UN estimate, 2026), with Melekeok as its capital. The 25 largest of its 25 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
-8%
since 2000 (19,178)
-12%
projected by 2050 (15,518)
38
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Treat these figures with care. The settlements listed below sum to 38,285, against a national population of 17,614. Some overlap is normal where towns run together, but a gap this wide suggests the underlying figures for Palau are unreliable, and we have not been able to verify them independently.
Largest cities in Palau
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Koror | Koror | 14,000 |
| 2 | Koror Town | Koror | 12,676 |
| 3 | Ngerbeched Hamlet | Koror | 1,404 |
| 4 | Ngerchemai Hamlet | Koror | 1,376 |
| 5 | Ngermid Hamlet | Koror | 1,045 |
| 6 | Meyungs Hamlet | Koror | 938 |
| 7 | Kloulklubed | Peleliu | 702 |
| 8 | Ngerekebesang Hamlet | Koror | 693 |
| 9 | Iyebukel Hamlet | Koror | 640 |
| 10 | Ngerkeseuaol Hamlet | Koror | 639 |
| 11 | Meketii Hamlet | Koror | 637 |
| 12 | Ulimang | Ngaraard | 581 |
| 13 | Idid Hamlet | Koror | 537 |
| 14 | Mengellang | Ngarchelong | 488 |
| 15 | Ngchesar Hamlet | Ngchesar | 300 |
| 16 | Melekeok Village | Melekeok | 271 |
| 17 | Ngchemiangel | Aimeliik | 270 |
| 18 | Ngerkeai | Ngiwal | 223 |
| 19 | Ngardmau | Ngardmau | 221 |
| 20 | Angaur State | Angaur | 188 |
| 21 | Kayangel | Kayangel | 188 |
| 22 | Imeong Hamlet | Ngeremlengui | 132 |
| 23 | Ngetkib | Airai | 62 |
| 24 | Tobi Village | Hatohobei | 44 |
| 25 | Sonsorol Village | Sonsorol | 30 |
Twenty years earlier: Palau in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 21,092.
Common questions
What is the population of Palau?
Palau has a population of 17,614, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 15,518 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Palau?
Melekeok. The largest place we record there is Koror, with 14,000 people.