Curaçao vs Palau
Palau is 5% larger than Curaçao.
CuraçaoPalauCuraçao moved onto Palau · Equal-area projection
0.95×
Curaçao is 0.95× the area of Palau. Put the other way, Palau is 1.05× the size of Curaçao.
 Curaçao |  Palau | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaPalau: 1.05× the area | 444 km² | 466 km²#180 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCuraçao: 8.85× the population | 156,2632025 | 17,663#192 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCuraçao: 9.29× the density | 352 / km² | 38 / km²#143 of 194 |
| Urban populationCuraçao: 1.15× the urban share | 92%2025 | 79%#46 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility ratePalau: 1.34× the births per woman | 1.40 per woman2024 | 1.88 per woman#103 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCuraçao: 0.37 points higher | +0.19%2025 | −0.18%#172 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth ratePalau: 1.49× the birth rate | 7.2 per 1,0002024 | 10.7 per 1,000#130 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death ratePalau: 1.16× the death rate | 10.1 per 1,0002024 | 11.7 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Palau: 3.3 points higher | 14.6%2025 | 17.9%#129 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Curaçao: 5.5 points higher | 17.3%2025 | 11.8%#72 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationCuraçao: 3.9 per 1,000 higher | +3.0 per 1,0002025 | −0.9 per 1,000#114 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadPalau: 5.6× the refugees for its size | 0.05 per 1,0002025 | 0.28 per 1,000#89 of 190 · 2023 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCuraçao: 7.6 years longer | 77.0 years2024 | 69.4 years#133 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortality | — | 18.6 per 1,000 births#71 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 1.81 per 1,000#87 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | — | 71.8%#42 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.786#83 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCuraçao: 1.13× the income per person | $22,5702024 | $19,890#54 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPCuraçao: 10.3× the economy | $3.56B2024 | $345M2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Curaçao: 1.42× the output per person | $32,7412024 | $23,052#82 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthPalau: 1.3 points higher | +5.0%2024 | +6.3%#26 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | −0.4%#170 of 176 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentPalau: 12.3 points higher | 4.3% of GDP2024 | 16.6% of GDP#8 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 32.7% of GDP#90 of 168 · 2024 |
| Internet users | — | 84%#82 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsPalau: 1.44× the mobile subscriptions | 94 per 1002023 | 135 per 100#43 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaPalau: 454× the forest share | 0% of land2024 | 91% of land#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | — | 82.8 t a year#1 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCuraçao: 1.9 points higher | 2.8%2021 | 0.9%#179 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | — | 4.9 µg/m³#183 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landPalau: 14.9 points higher | 16.5% of land2025 | 31.4% of land#28 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable land | — | 0.7% of land#178 of 190 · 2024 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | — | +1.30#12 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruption | — | +0.51#59 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 11.2 per 100,000#27 of 146 · 2018 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of Netherlands | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territoryparliamentary democracy | Presidential republicpresidential republic in free association with the US |
| Capital | Willemstad | Koror |
| Currency | Caribbean guilder (XCG) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English, Dutch, Papiamento | English, Japanese, Palauan |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC+9 |
| Calling code | +5999 | +680 |
| Region | Caribbean, North America | Micronesia, Oceania |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Curaçao sits at about 12° N and is stretched to 1.05× its true area; Palau at 7° N is stretched to 1.02×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Curaçao bigger than Palau?
- No. Curaçao is 5% smaller than Palau. Curaçao covers 444 km² and Palau covers 466 km².
- How many times does Curaçao fit into Palau?
- About 1.0 times: Palau has 1.05× the area of Curaçao.
- Why do Curaçao and Palau look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Curaçao is drawn about 1.05× its true area there and Palau about 1.02×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Curaçao or Palau?
- Curaçao: 156,263 people against 17,663. Density: Curaçao 352 per km², Palau 38 per km².
- Which is richer, Curaçao or Palau?
- By gross national income per person, Curaçao: $22,570 against $19,890 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 1.13× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Curaçao or Palau?
- In Curaçao: life expectancy at birth is 77.0 years, against 69.4 — 7.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Curaçao and Palau have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Curaçao: dependent territory; Palau: presidential republic.