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Country guide· 12 min read

Palau rankings 2026: where Palau places in 49 global Top 10s

Palau is #1 in Countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions per person, #1 in 2 rankings and inside the top 10 of 11 rankings. Every position, value and source, regenerated as the data refreshes.

Palau appears in 49 of the 491 live country rankings on Top10Earth. This guide walks through every one of them: where Palau is number one, where it makes the top 10, where it sits further down the table, and what has moved since the previous snapshot. Its best position is #1 in Countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions per person, where it is measured at 82.84 t CO2e per person (Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person (excluding land use)) as of 2026-11-02. Palau holds the #1 spot in 2 rankings and finishes inside the top 10 in 11 rankings.

Where Palau is number one

These are the rankings Palau currently tops. The next country in each table is listed too, because a #1 by a whisker and a #1 by a mile are different stories.

Top 10 finishes

Palau is inside the top 10 of 9 further rankings beyond the ones it leads. Each entry names the country directly above it, which is the position to beat at the next refresh.

Palau by theme

The rankings are grouped by category below, so the economic picture, the health picture and the environmental picture can be read separately. Positions are out of the number of countries each source reports, which differs by ranking.

Finance and crypto

In finance and crypto, Palau holds 12 positions: #2 of 50 in Countries with the highest share of services in total exports (97.26 %), #5 of 50 in Countries with the highest government spending as a share of GDP (58.95 % of GDP), #6 of 50 in Countries with the fastest export growth (74.57 %) and #8 of 50 in Countries with the highest foreign investment inflows (21.49 % of GDP). 8 more rankings are listed below.

Health and wellbeing

In health and wellbeing, Palau holds 12 positions: #16 of 50 in Countries with the highest drowning death rates (8.43 per 100,000 people), #17 of 50 in Countries with the highest death rates from fires and burns (4.38 per 100,000 people), #19 of 50 in Countries spending the largest share of GDP on health (10.85 % of GDP) and #20 of 50 in Countries with the highest death rates from falls (14.31 per 100,000 people). 8 more rankings are listed below.

Environment and energy

In environment and energy, Palau holds 11 positions: #1 of 50 in Countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions per person (82.84 t CO2e per person), #1 of 50 in Countries with the highest CO2 emissions from transport per person (7,886.88 tonnes per person), #2 of 50 in Countries with the highest share of waters that are protected (98 % of territorial waters) and #4 of 50 in Most forested countries (90.83 % of land). 7 more rankings are listed below.

World and society

In world and society, Palau holds 7 positions: #19 of 50 in Countries with the highest share of people living in rural areas (60.71 %), #25 of 50 in Countries with the highest death rates from ischaemic heart disease (204.37 per 100,000 people), #32 of 50 in Countries with the highest share of international migrants (29.5 % of population) and #33 of 50 in Countries with the highest share of adults with some secondary education (94.36 %). 3 more rankings are listed below.

Education and science

In education and science, Palau holds 4 positions: #3 of 50 in Countries with the most students reaching minimum maths level (primary) (91.73 %), #8 of 50 in Countries with the highest adult literacy rates (99.84 %), #26 of 50 in Countries with the most students reaching minimum reading level (primary) (93.54 %) and #47 of 50 in Countries with the highest share of students from abroad (9.38 %).

Food and agriculture

In food and agriculture, Palau holds 2 positions: #30 of 50 in Countries using the most pesticides per hectare of cropland (10.8 kg per hectare) and #46 of 50 in Countries with the highest taxes as a share of cigarette price (74.07 %).

Consumer tech

In consumer tech, Palau holds 1 position: #48 of 50 in Countries by mobile subscriptions per 100 people (135.39 per 100 people).

What changed at the latest refresh

Comparing each ranking's newest snapshot with the one before it, Palau moved in 46 rankings:

Where Palau ranks lowest

A guide that only listed wins would be misleading. Palau's lowest current positions are 49th of 50 in Countries with the most nurses and midwives per 1,000 people (6.61 per 1,000 people), 48th of 50 in Countries by mobile subscriptions per 100 people (135.39 per 100 people) and 47th of 50 in Countries by trade in services (37.98 % of GDP). Whether a low position is good or bad depends on the metric: being near the bottom of an emissions or mortality ranking is the better place to be.

Every ranking that includes Palau

How to read these numbers

Each ranking measures one metric from one named source at one time, so a #3 in one table and a #3 in another are not directly comparable. Countries also report in different years: the capture date is when Top10Earth fetched the data, while the source's own year is stated on each ranking page under methodology. For a side-by-side with another country on the same measures, open any ranking and use the head-to-head links, or visit Palau's entity page for the live table and rank-history chart.

Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value. Each number is fetched from its source on a schedule, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails that gate the previous snapshot stays live and a person looks at why. Every past snapshot is kept, which is what makes the rank-history charts on each ranking page possible.

Questions people ask about Palau

What is Palau's best ranking on Top10Earth?

#1 in Countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions per person, with 82.84 t CO2e per person (Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per person (excluding land use)) as of 2026-11-02.

How many rankings include Palau?

49 current country rankings out of 491 on the site, including 2 rankings where it is #1.

Is Palau in the top 10 of anything?

Yes: 11 rankings, including #1 in Countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions per person, #1 in Countries with the highest CO2 emissions from transport per person and #2 in Countries with the highest share of services in total exports.

Where do the numbers come from?

From World Bank Open Data and Our World in Data. Each ranking page names its source, metric definition and capture date.

When was this guide last updated?

The newest snapshot used here was captured on 2026-11-02. The guide is regenerated automatically as rankings refresh.

Live table and history →

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