Summary
- Exports
- $20million
- Imports
- $172million
- Trade balance
- -$153million
Products
What it exports
Yachts and pleasure boats (53.9%) and cargo and cruise ships (22.7%) together make up 76.6% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (21.3%) and yachts and pleasure boats (16.9%) together make up 38.2% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (90)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 89 · Ships and boats | $17 million | $42 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $621 thousand | $21 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $526 thousand | $1 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $449 thousand | $2 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $339 thousand | $5 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $194 thousand | $2 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $123 thousand | $221 thousand |
| 74 · Copper | $113 thousand | $23 thousand |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $71 thousand | $470 thousand |
| 05 · Other animal products | $58 thousand | $8 |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $31 thousand | $11 thousand |
| 39 · Plastics | $30 thousand | $4 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $21 thousand | $2 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $20 thousand | $526 thousand |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $16 thousand | $187 thousand |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $14 thousand | $3 million |
| 81 · Other base metals | $11 thousand | $16 thousand |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $10 thousand | $13 thousand |
| 87 · Vehicles | $8 thousand | $9 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $7 thousand | $124 thousand |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $3 thousand | $3 thousand |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $3 thousand | $115 thousand |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $3 thousand | $423 thousand |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $2 thousand | $302 thousand |
| 70 · Glass | $2 thousand | $110 thousand |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $1 thousand | $548 thousand |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $1 thousand | $211 thousand |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $922 | $265 thousand |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $791 | $960 thousand |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $594 | $11 thousand |
| 40 · Rubber | $509 | $842 thousand |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $434 | $3 thousand |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $321 | $5 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $251 | $81 thousand |
| 07 · Vegetables | $249 | $1 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $200 | $2 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $125 | $2 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $124 | $319 thousand |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $108 | $58 thousand |
| 64 · Footwear | $49 | $122 thousand |
| 65 · Hats | $23 | $45 thousand |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $23 | $841 |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $22 | $37 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $14 | $17 thousand |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $0 | $9 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $0 | $4 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $0 | $3 million |
| 44 · Wood | $0 | $2 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $0 | $2 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $0 | $2 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $0 | $964 thousand |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $0 | $765 thousand |
| 10 · Cereals | $0 | $544 thousand |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $0 | $532 thousand |
| 69 · Ceramics | $0 | $519 thousand |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $0 | $479 thousand |
| 24 · Tobacco | $0 | $471 thousand |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $0 | $291 thousand |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $0 | $286 thousand |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $0 | $276 thousand |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $0 | $266 thousand |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $0 | $228 thousand |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $0 | $212 thousand |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $0 | $180 thousand |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $0 | $165 thousand |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $0 | $162 thousand |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $0 | $156 thousand |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $0 | $102 thousand |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $0 | $72 thousand |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $0 | $64 thousand |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $0 | $51 thousand |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $0 | $48 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $0 | $30 thousand |
| 01 · Live animals | $0 | $30 thousand |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $0 | $26 thousand |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $17 thousand |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $0 | $15 thousand |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $0 | $10 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $9 thousand |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $0 | $9 thousand |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $0 | $8 thousand |
| 75 · Nickel | $0 | $6 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $0 | $5 thousand |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $0 | $1 thousand |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $0 | $342 |
| 52 · Cotton | $0 | $340 |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $0 | $293 |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $0 | $189 |
| 51 · Wool | $0 | $93 |
| 14 · Other plant products | $0 | $63 |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Italy (48.7% of exports) and its main source is China (24.4% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 9.6 | 48.7% | Air |
| Greece | 5.5 | 27.9% | Sea |
| Turkey | 1.6 | 8% | Sea |
| United States | 1.5 | 7.7% | Sea |
| Taiwan | 0.54 | 2.8% | — |
| South Korea | 0.39 | 2% | — |
| Poland | 0.27 | 1.4% | — |
| El Salvador | 0.07 | 0.37% | — |
| Japan | 0.06 | 0.29% | — |
| Belgium | 0.04 | 0.22% | — |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 42.1 | 24.4% | Sea |
| Italy | 27.5 | 16% | Air |
| Japan | 19.3 | 11.2% | Sea |
| United States | 18 | 10.4% | Sea |
| South Korea | 16.9 | 9.8% | Sea |
| Turkey | 12.4 | 7.2% | Sea |
| Taiwan | 7.4 | 4.3% | Sea |
| Thailand | 6.8 | 3.9% | Sea |
| Greece | 5.7 | 3.3% | Sea |
| Philippines | 4.3 | 2.5% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Palau accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports fell 25% since 1995
USD millions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 19.7
- Imports 172
- Balance -153
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $26 million | $22 million | $4 million |
| 1996 | $35 million | $45 million | -$10 million |
| 1997 | $38 million | $46 million | -$7 million |
| 1998 | $31 million | $36 million | -$5 million |
| 1999 | $38 million | $33 million | $6 million |
| 2000 | $32 million | $48 million | -$16 million |
| 2001 | $27 million | $51 million | -$24 million |
| 2002 | $29 million | $45 million | -$16 million |
| 2003 | $17 million | $29 million | -$13 million |
| 2004 | $23 million | $43 million | -$21 million |
| 2005 | $32 million | $36 million | -$3 million |
| 2006 | $43 million | $42 million | $733 thousand |
| 2007 | $33 million | $123 million | -$90 million |
| 2008 | $29 million | $158 million | -$128 million |
| 2009 | $18 million | $118 million | -$100 million |
| 2010 | $18 million | $129 million | -$111 million |
| 2011 | $19 million | $147 million | -$128 million |
| 2012 | $27 million | $163 million | -$136 million |
| 2013 | $17 million | $190 million | -$174 million |
| 2014 | $24 million | $186 million | -$163 million |
| 2015 | $19 million | $169 million | -$150 million |
| 2016 | $24 million | $193 million | -$169 million |
| 2017 | $28 million | $186 million | -$158 million |
| 2018 | $32 million | $180 million | -$149 million |
| 2019 | $24 million | $102 million | -$78 million |
| 2020 | $15 million | $89 million | -$75 million |
| 2021 | $6 million | $105 million | -$99 million |
| 2022 | $8 million | $154 million | -$146 million |
| 2023 | $6 million | $180 million | -$174 million |
| 2024 | $20 million | $172 million | -$153 million |
World rank
Palau fell from 189th to 213th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 189th in 1995
- 213th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 189th |
| 1996 | 185th |
| 1997 | 187th |
| 1998 | 187th |
| 1999 | 190th |
| 2000 | 196th |
| 2001 | 198th |
| 2002 | 200th |
| 2003 | 204th |
| 2004 | 201st |
| 2005 | 197th |
| 2006 | 198th |
| 2007 | 200th |
| 2008 | 205th |
| 2009 | 208th |
| 2010 | 207th |
| 2011 | 207th |
| 2012 | 208th |
| 2013 | 211th |
| 2014 | 208th |
| 2015 | 211th |
| 2016 | 208th |
| 2017 | 210th |
| 2018 | 206th |
| 2019 | 211th |
| 2020 | 213th |
| 2021 | 218th |
| 2022 | 215th |
| 2023 | 217th |
| 2024 | 213th |
What it sells
Ships and boats became its top export group: from 0% to 86%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 2%
- Copper 1%
- Miscellaneous chemicals 1%
- Aluminum 1%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 2%
- Iron and steel 2%
- Fish and seafood 3%
- Mechanical machinery 3%
- Ships and boats 86%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Ships and boats | 0% | 86.4% |
| Mechanical machinery | 0.17% | 3.2% |
| Fish and seafood | 65.5% | 2.7% |
| Iron and steel | 0% | 2.3% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 2.7% | 1.7% |
| Aluminum | 0.08% | 0.99% |
| Miscellaneous chemicals | 0% | 0.62% |
| Copper | 0% | 0.57% |
| Other | 31.5% | 1.6% |
Who it trades with
Japan went from 54% to 10% of Palau's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- China 22%
- Italy 19%
- United States 10%
- Japan 10%
- South Korea 9%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 0.35% | 21.9% |
| Italy | 0.16% | 19.3% |
| United States | 27.5% | 10.2% |
| Japan | 53.9% | 10.1% |
| South Korea | 3.2% | 9% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.