Photo: Lukas from Munich, Germany derivative work: Inkey · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 06 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Palau: Development & Human Capital
Is a country turning its resources into better lives?
Palau is placed 81st of 196 countries on development & human capital in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Social Protection Coverage 93.2 (2025); Maternal Mortality Ratio 89.42 (2023).
Share
Development & Human Capital
81st
of 196 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 3 key statistics
Not placed in the Country Index 2026 overall: measured on too few topics.
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Palau on development & human capital — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 2 of 3
Maternal Mortality Ratio
UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG)
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
89.42
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births
Lower is better
Palau: 89.42. Across the 195 countries in this edition, values run from 0.11 (Cook Islands) to 992.83 (Nigeria); the world median is 46.65.
- World median
- 46.65
- Best in Micronesia
- 79.76 Kiribati
Key 3 of 3
Human Development Index
UNDP Human Development Report Office
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
0.786
HDI score (0–1)
Higher is better
Ranked 84th of 193 by UNDP Human Development Report Office
Palau: 0.786. Across the 193 countries in this edition, values run from 0.388 (South Sudan) to 0.972 (Iceland); the world median is 0.762.
- World median
- 0.762
- Best in Micronesia
- 0.786 Palau
02Over time
Which way Palau is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Maternal Mortality Ratio
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births · lower is better
PalauWorld median
Palau fell from 118.6 in 2000 to 89.42 in 2023; the world median went from 70.99 to 46.65.
Every year’s figures
Year Palau World median 2023 89.4 46.7 2022 120.7 53.0 2021 109.2 76.6 2020 117.0 56.0 2019 83.5 48.4 2018 81.5 49.3 2017 80.5 47.2 2016 79.9 50.6 2015 78.7 51.9 2014 77.9 52.8 2013 85.0 53.3 2012 83.7 54.6 2011 82.6 55.0 2010 95.6 56.1 2009 93.7 56.3 2008 98.9 55.8 2007 98.0 56.8 2006 104.7 58.1 2005 105.2 60.1 2004 106.4 63.0 2003 108.3 66.8 2002 117.4 66.0 2001 118.2 68.1 2000 118.6 71.0 Human Development Index
HDI score (0–1) · higher is better
PalauWorld median
Palau rose from 0.736 in 2000 to 0.786 in 2023; the world median went from 0.672 to 0.762.
Every year’s figures
Year Palau World median 2023 0.786 0.7620 2022 0.786 0.7610 2021 0.789 0.7450 2020 0.799 0.7425 2019 0.806 0.7515 2018 0.805 0.7520 2017 0.804 0.7480 2016 0.804 0.7500 2015 0.802 0.7430 2014 0.795 0.7410 2013 0.791 0.7390 2012 0.787 0.7350 2011 0.784 0.7250 2010 0.779 0.7250 2009 0.776 0.7220 2008 0.773 0.7180 2007 0.771 0.7100 2006 0.765 0.7045 2005 0.761 0.6960 2004 0.755 0.6960 2003 0.749 0.6910 2002 0.746 0.6845 2001 0.741 0.6770 2000 0.736 0.6720
03In context
Palau beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 196 countries on development & human capital, never a place within the region.
Palau and Micronesia
Palau has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 196; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Social Protection CoveragePopulation covered by at least one social protection benefit (%) | Maternal Mortality RatioMaternal deaths per 100,000 live births | Human Development IndexHDI score (0–1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palau | 81st | 93.2 | 89.42 | 0.786 |
 Nauru | 125th | 65.8 | 273.38 | 0.703 |
 Marshall Islands | 134th | 25.2 | 154.79 | 0.733 |
 Kiribati | 139th | 21 | 79.76 | 0.644 |
 Micronesia | =147th | 20 | 128.75 | 0.615 |
 Guam | not placed | — | — | — |
 Northern Mariana Islands | not placed | — | — | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Micronesia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 196.
Placed either side on development & human capital
The countries immediately above and below Palau in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Palau is ahead of the world, and behind
25 more statistics filed under development & human capital, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median12
Statistics on which Palau does better than the middle country measured.
Mean Years of SchoolingUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 9.93313.39.933No real change since 2013
Palau: 13.3 · world median 9.933 · Mean years of schooling (adults 25+). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 1.412 to 14.3; higher is better.
Position 11th of 193 · derived.
Old-Age Pension CoverageILO · 2025 · world median 80.810080.8No earlier reading
Palau: 100 · world median 80.8 · People above statutory pensionable age receiving an old-age pension (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100; higher is better.
Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9710.9920.971▲ Improved since 2013
Palau: 0.992 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.
Position 27th of 184 · derived.
Immunisation Coverage, DTP3WUENIC · 2025 · world median 919691▲ Improved since 2015
Palau: 96 · world median 91 · Infants given a third dose of DTP vaccine (%). WHO and UNICEF (WUENIC), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 39 to 99; higher is better.
Disability Benefit CoverageILO · 2025 · world median 43.985.643.9No earlier reading
Palau: 85.6 · world median 43.9 · People with severe disabilities receiving disability benefits (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100; higher is better.
Immunisation Coverage, Measles First Dose (MCV1)WUENIC · 2025 · world median 909490▲ Improved since 2015
Palau: 94 · world median 90 · Infants given a first dose of measles vaccine (%). WHO and UNICEF (WUENIC), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 13 to 99; higher is better.
Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour BenefitsWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 18.6527.9918.65No earlier reading
Palau: 27.99 · world median 18.65 · Benefits received as a share of beneficiaries' total income or consumption (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.455 to 90.86; higher is better.
Productive Capacities IndexUNCTAD · 2022 · world median 46.6751.5846.67▲ Improved since 2012
Palau: 51.58 · world median 46.67 · Productive Capacities Index (1–100). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 17.8 to 71.02; higher is better.
Position 70th of 195 · derived.
Expected Years of SchoolingUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 13.3414.0713.34▼ Worsened since 2013
Palau: 14.07 · world median 13.34 · Expected years of schooling. UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 5.635 to 21.69; higher is better.
Position 84th of 195 · derived.
Human Capital IndexWorld Bank Group · 2020 · world median 0.5640.5880.564▲ Improved since 2018
Palau: 0.588 · world median 0.564 · HCI score (0–1). World Bank Group, 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 0.292 to 0.879; higher is better.
Position 76th of 172 · derived.
GDP per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 17,26519,69917,265▼ Worsened since 2015
Palau: 19,699 · world median 17,265 · GDP per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1,067 to 139,593; higher is better.
Position 83rd of 185 · derived.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.6160.609▼ Worsened since 2014
Palau: 0.616 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.
Position 84th of 169 · derived.
Behind the world median9
Statistics on which Palau does worse than the middle country measured.
Stillbirth RateUN IGME · 2023 · world median 8.1638.4198.163▼ Worsened since 2013
Palau: 8.419 · world median 8.163 · Stillbirths (per 1,000 total births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 1.18 to 34.9; lower is better.
Position 97th of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.0520.117.05▼ Worsened since 2014
Palau: 20.1 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 72nd of 169 · derived, 1st = worst.
Neonatal Mortality RateUN IGME · 2024 · world median 8.13411.228.134▼ Worsened since 2014
Palau: 11.22 · world median 8.134 · Deaths in the first 28 days (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.544 to 39.47; lower is better.
Position 77th of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Under-Five Mortality RateUN IGME · 2024 · world median 14.5421.4314.54▼ Worsened since 2014
Palau: 21.43 · world median 14.54 · Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.26 to 115.65; lower is better.
Position 73rd of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Infant Mortality RateUN IGME · 2024 · world median 12.2618.5712.26▼ Worsened since 2014
Palau: 18.57 · world median 12.26 · Deaths before age one (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.214 to 71.87; lower is better.
Position 72nd of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Mortality Rate, Ages 5–14UN IGME · 2024 · world median 2.8584.6052.858▼ Worsened since 2014
Palau: 4.605 · world median 2.858 · Deaths between ages 5 and 14 (per 1,000 children aged 5). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.392 to 59.04; lower is better.
Position 63rd of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Statistical Performance IndicatorsWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 69.360.9569.3▲ Improved since 2020
Palau: 60.95 · world median 69.3 · SPI overall score (0–100). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 27.12 to 94.14; higher is better.
Position 130th of 188 · derived.
Low Birthweight PrevalenceUNICEF and WHO (Joint Low Birthweight Estimates) · 2020 · world median 10.2113.5310.21No real change since 2010
Palau: 13.53 · world median 10.21 · Live births weighing under 2,500 g (%). UNICEF and WHO (Joint Low Birthweight Estimates), 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 3.993 to 27.44; lower is better.
Position 46th of 158 · derived, 1st = worst.
Life Expectancy at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 74.6369.2774.63▼ Worsened since 2013
Palau: 69.27 · world median 74.63 · Years a newborn would live at current death rates. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 54.46 to 86.37; higher is better.
Position 162nd of 222 · derived.
Level with the median, or no median to compare3
Access to ElectricityWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 100100100▲ Improved since 2014
Palau: 100 · world median 100 · Population with electricity access (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 5.4 to 100; higher is better.
Access to Electricity, RuralWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 100100100▲ Improved since 2014
Palau: 100 · world median 100 · Rural population with electricity access (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.7 to 100; higher is better.
Unemployment Benefit CoverageILO · 2024 · world median 000No earlier reading
Palau: 0 · world median 0 · Unemployed people receiving unemployment benefits (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100; higher is better.
No better end1
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Net Official Development Assistance ReceivedOECD Development Assistance Committee · 2023 · world median 2.57910.372.579Moved since 2013
Palau: 10.37 · world median 2.579 · Net ODA received (% of GNI). OECD Development Assistance Committee, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from -0.001 to 101.78.
Position 23rd of 130 · derived, counted from the highest value.
No current reading for Palau
Account Ownership at a Financial Institution, Cereal Yield, Child and Family Benefit Coverage, Child Marriage, Children with Functional Difficulties, Completeness of Birth Registration, Comprehensive Wealth per Capita, Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, Employment Injury Protection Coverage, Exclusive Breastfeeding Under Six Months, Foundational ID Ownership, Gender Inequality Index, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, GNI per Capita (PPP) (last 2024), Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison), Human Capital Wealth per Capita, Malaria Incidence (P. falciparum), Malaria Incidence (P. vivax), Malaria Mortality (P. falciparum), Manufacturing Value Added (% of GDP) (last 2024), Multidimensional Poverty Measure, Official Development Assistance Given (% of GNI), Planetary pressures-adjusted HDI, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up Estimates, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day, Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day, Prosperity Gap, Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five, Violent Discipline of Children and Wasting Prevalence in Children Under Five. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Development & Human Capital among Palau’s 7 topics
Development & Human Capital is Palau’s 4th best-placed topic of 7. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Democracy & Civil Liberties14th of 1982/4 keys
- Risk & Resiliencejoint 52nd of 1933/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge78th of 1983/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital81st of 1963/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions117th of 1942/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing138th of 2003/4 keys
- Digital & Technology184th of 1983/4 keys
No standing on Economy & Innovation, Work & Labour, Environment & Sustainability, Gender & Equality, Peace & Security, Mobility & Trade, Food & Agriculture, Poverty & Inequality, Energy: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on development & human capital
The three countries placed highest of 196, and the leaders Palau can most readily be measured against.
1
Cook IslandsPolynesia
1st of 196 · 2 of 3 keys
Photo: Benedict Adam · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
2
NorwayNorthern Europe
2nd of 196 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
DenmarkNorthern Europe
3rd of 196 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Oceania
Cook Islands1st2/3 keysHighest in Micronesia
Palau81st3/3 keys
Positions out of 196 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Palau and development & human capital
On development & human capital
Global Hunger Index 2025: Countries with the Most Alarming Hunger Crisis
Thirteen countries scored across four editions — 2000, 2008, 2016 and 2025 — and five the report could not score at all. DR Congo and South Sudan share 121st place on 37.5.
On development & human capital
India vs Pakistan 2025: Comparison of Hunger Index, Happiness, HDI, Rule of Law, Literacy & GDP
India and Pakistan on six published measures: hunger, happiness, human development, rule of law, literacy and GDP per capita, each from its own publisher and year.
08Questions
Palau on development & human capital: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Palau rank on development & human capital?
Palau is placed 81st of 196 countries on Development & Human Capital in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics (Social Protection Coverage, Maternal Mortality Ratio and Human Development Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Social Protection Coverage figure for Palau?
93.2 in 2025 (population covered by at least one social protection benefit (%)), according to International Labour Organization (ILO). The world median in the same edition was 52.1.
What is the latest Maternal Mortality Ratio figure for Palau?
89.42 in 2023 (maternal deaths per 100,000 live births), according to UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG). The world median in the same edition was 46.65.
How have Palau’s development & human capital figures changed?
Maternal Mortality Ratio fell from 118.6 in 2000 to 89.42 in 2023; Human Development Index rose from 0.736 in 2000 to 0.786 in 2023.
Which development & human capital statistics are missing for Palau?
No current reading is published for Palau on Account Ownership at a Financial Institution, Cereal Yield, Child and Family Benefit Coverage, Child Marriage, Children with Functional Difficulties, Completeness of Birth Registration, Comprehensive Wealth per Capita, Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, Employment Injury Protection Coverage, Exclusive Breastfeeding Under Six Months, Foundational ID Ownership, Gender Inequality Index, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, GNI per Capita (PPP), Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison), Human Capital Wealth per Capita, Malaria Incidence (P. falciparum), Malaria Incidence (P. vivax), Malaria Mortality (P. falciparum), Manufacturing Value Added (% of GDP), Multidimensional Poverty Measure, Official Development Assistance Given (% of GNI), Planetary pressures-adjusted HDI, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up Estimates, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day, Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day, Prosperity Gap, Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five, Violent Discipline of Children and Wasting Prevalence in Children Under Five. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Poverty lines, inequality and aid received are published here as context rather than as keys, often because they cover fewer countries or are measured too rarely. Development is also not the same as economic size or growth, which belong to Economy & Innovation.
How the Development & Human Capital standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.
The development & human capital method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Social Protection Coverage — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
- Maternal Mortality Ratio — UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Human Development Index — UNDP Human Development Report Office, CC BY 3.0 IGO
The other 25 statistics on this page come from 9 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Palau’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Palau (banner) — Lukas from Munich, Germany derivative work: Inkey, CC BY 2.0
- Cook Islands — Benedict Adam, CC BY 2.0
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Palau: Development & Human Capital — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/palau/development