About 70% of the Palauan population lives in the capital city of Koror on Koror Island. The constitution calls for a new capital to be established on the bigger but less developed island of Babeldaob--the second-largest island in Micronesia after Guam.

Population: 18,766 (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 27% (male 2,605; female 2,458)
15-64 years: 68% (male 7,006; female 5,814)
65 years and over: 5% (male 416; female 467) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.75% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 19.88 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 7.35 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 5.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.21 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.15 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 17.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.59 years
male: 65.47 years
female: 71.88 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.47 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Palauan(s)
adjective: Palauan

Ethnic groups: Palauans are Melanesian with Micronesian and Malayan admixtures

Religions: Christian (Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission, and Latter-Day Saints), Modekngei religion (one-third of the population observes this religion which is indigenous to Palau)

Languages: English and Palauan official in all states except Sonsoral (Sonsorolese and English are official), Hatobohei (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92%
male: 93%
female: 90% (1980 est.)

See also : Palau