People in Palau

Population: 18 110 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27% (male 2 555; female 2 405)

15-64 years: 68% (male 6 727; female 5 535)

65 years and over: 5% (male 416; female 472) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.96% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 21.26 births/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 7.9 deaths/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 6.24 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.22 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 18.82 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 67.54 years

male: 64.49 years

female: 70.78 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Palauan(s)

adjective: Palauan

Ethnic groups: Palauans are a composite of Polynesian Malayan and Melanesian races

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 (official in all of Palau's 16 states) Sonsorolese (official in the state of Sonsoral) Angaur and Japanese (in the state of Anguar) Tobi (in the state of Tobi) Palauan (in the other 13 states)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 92%

male: 93%

female: 90% (1980 est.)