Papua New Guinea
Country in Oceania
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 10.8M (2025). World rank 91 of 216; in Oceania, 2 of 19. Area: 462,840 km². World rank 56 of 249; in Oceania, 2 of 27. Life expectancy: 66.3 years (2024). World rank 184 of 216 (1 = best); in Oceania, 18 of 19. From 2015 to 2025: population 8.7M → 10.8M, GDP $21.7B → $32.5B, and GDP per person $2,485 → $3,020. Worse than all its neighbours (Indonesia): life expectancy and GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Independent State of Papua New Guinea
- Local name
- Papua New Guinea
- Capital
- Port Moresby
- Region
- Oceania
- Form of government
- Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Charles III
- Head of government
- James Marape
- Independence
- September 16, 1975
- Women in parliament
- 2.7% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 10,762,817 2025
- Area
- 462,840 km²
- GDP
- $32.5B 2025
- GDP per person
- $3,020 2025
- Life expectancy
- 66.3 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English, Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin
- Currency
- Papua New Guinean Kina (PGK)
- Time zones
- UTC+10, UTC+11
- Calling code
- +675
- Emergency numbers
- 110, 111, 112
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- I
- Mains voltage
- 240 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 5,152
- Neighbours
- Indonesia
- Agricultural land
- 3.1% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Mount Wilhelm, 4,509 m
- Lowest point
- Pacific Ocean, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 667
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 25
- Warmest month in the capital
- November, 27°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- July, 24°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 3,142 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 23.3 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +1.8% 2025
- Living in cities
- 15.8% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -284 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.3% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 33.1% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 63.3% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 3.6% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 69.2 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 63.8 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 3.1 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 24.3 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 6.6 2024
Society
- Religions
- Protestant 64.3%, Catholic 26%, and other Christian 6.7% (2011)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 49.2 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 32.3 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 37.8 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 44.9 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 53.4 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $5,215 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +5.6% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Lower-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $2,890 2025
- Inflation
- +4.4% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 58 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 17% 2024
- Industry, share of GDP
- 36.5% 2024
- Services, share of GDP
- 42% 2024
- Unemployment
- 2.6% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 3.8% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 50.8% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 72.2% 2004
- Imports, share of GDP
- 58.9% 2004
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +15.5% 2024
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- -3.6% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 0% 2024
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 15.5% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 41.9 2009
- Living on under $3 a day
- 52.2% 2009
Education
- Adult literacy
- 87% 2022
- Primary school enrolment
- 121% 2023
- Secondary school enrolment
- 52.1% 2023
- Higher education enrolment
- 2% 1999
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 0.8% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 2.9% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $85 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 8.6% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.1 2023
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 0.5 2021
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 0.6 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 44% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 31.3 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 39.4 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 189 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 1.5% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 14.1% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 51.4% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 39.3% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 53.3% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 23.6% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 12% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 9.3 2010
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 12.6 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 1.8 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 56 2025
- Natural hazards
- earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 14.1 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.5 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 1 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 75.2% 2024
- Protected areas
- 0.7% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 78,505 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 0.1% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 18.8% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 39 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 0.2 2024
- Internet domain
- .pg
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 43.3% 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 54.6% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 40% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 60% 2021
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 1,547,502 2023
- Airports
- 569 2025
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0% 2016
- Researchers per million people
- 33 2016
- Scientific articles per year
- 70 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 1 2022
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 10.3% 2023