Guam vs Palau
Guam is 17% larger than Palau.
GuamPalauGuam moved onto Palau · Equal-area projection
1.17×
Guam is 1.17× the area of Palau.
 Guam |  Palau | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaGuam: 1.17× the area | 544 km² | 466 km²#180 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGuam: 9.57× the population | 168,9992025 | 17,663#192 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGuam: 8.2× the density | 311 / km² | 38 / km²#143 of 194 |
| Urban populationGuam: 1.19× the urban share | 94%2025 | 79%#46 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGuam: 1.46× the births per woman | 2.75 per woman2024 | 1.88 per woman#103 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGuam: 0.91 points higher | +0.73%2025 | −0.18%#172 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGuam: 1.62× the birth rate | 17.3 per 1,0002024 | 10.7 per 1,000#130 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death ratePalau: 1.7× the death rate | 6.9 per 1,0002024 | 11.7 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Guam: 8.0 points higher | 25.9%2025 | 17.9%#129 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Guam: 1.3 points higher | 13.1%2025 | 11.8%#72 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationPalau: 2.0 per 1,000 higher | −2.9 per 1,0002025 | −0.9 per 1,000#114 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | — | 0.28 per 1,000#89 of 190 · 2023 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyGuam: 8.0 years longer | 77.4 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 capita | — | $19,890#54 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGuam: 20× the economy | $6.91B2022 | $345M2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | — | $23,052#82 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthPalau: 1.2 points higher | +5.1%2022 | +6.3%#26 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | −0.4%#170 of 176 · 2025 |
| Unemployment | 5.6%2025 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 1.6% of jobs2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 19.3% of jobs2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 79.2% of jobs2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | — | 16.6% of GDP#8 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsPalau: 24.8 points higher | 7.9% of GDP2022 | 32.7% of GDP#90 of 168 · 2024 |
| Internet users | — | 84%#82 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | — | 135 per 100#43 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaPalau: 1.74× the forest share | 52% of land2024 | 91% of land#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | 0.00 t a year2024 | 82.8 t a year#1 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGuam: 5.8 points higher | 6.7%2022 | 0.9%#179 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Palau: 1.4× the air pollution | 3.5 µg/m³2023 | 4.9 µg/m³#183 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landPalau: 27.2 points higher | 4.2% of land2025 | 31.4% of land#28 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landGuam: 1.1 points higher | 1.8% of land2024 | 0.7% of land#178 of 190 · 2024 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityPalau: 0.11 higher | +1.192025 | +1.30#12 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGuam: 0.67 higher | +1.182025 | +0.51#59 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide ratePalau: 2.6× the homicide rate | 4.3 per 100,0002019 | 11.2 per 100,000#27 of 146 · 2018 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of United States of America | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territoryunincorporated organized territory of the US with local self-government; republican form of territorial government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches | Presidential republicpresidential republic in free association with the US |
| Capital | Agana | Koror |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English, Chamorro | English, Japanese, Palauan |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+10 | UTC+9 |
| Calling code | +1 671 | +680 |
| Region | Micronesia, Oceania | 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. Guam sits at about 13° N and is stretched to 1.06× 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 Guam bigger than Palau?
- Yes. Guam is 17% larger than Palau. Guam covers 544 km² and Palau covers 466 km².
- How many times does Palau fit into Guam?
- About 1.2 times: Guam has 1.17× the area of Palau.
- Why do Guam and Palau look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Guam is drawn about 1.06× 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, Guam or Palau?
- Guam: 168,999 people against 17,663. Density: Guam 311 per km², Palau 38 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Guam or Palau?
- In Guam: life expectancy at birth is 77.4 years, against 69.4 — 8.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Guam and Palau have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Guam: dependent territory; Palau: presidential republic.