placestats

Last European coloniser: United Kingdom · Largest religious group: Christians. These are labels that describe the country, not numbers, so they are never compared with other measures. The numbers behind them, such as population shares, are.

Papua New Guinea

Against lower middle income countries, Papua New Guinea ranks 13th of 45 on governance and 46th of 46 on gender. Each ranking counts only the countries that report that score, so the totals differ and the two ranks can’t be compared directly. Both compare Papua New Guinea with countries of similar wealth. That is the only kind of ranking that tells you something a ranking by income does not already show.

How it has changed

Every measure Papua New Guinea reports, over all the years it has been published. Pick one. Hover or use the arrow keys to read a year. Gaps in a line are years with no data. They are left open, not filled in.

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Scores by area

Each score averages the measures in one area, such as health. Each measure is first put on a common scale and turned so that higher is always better. Zero is the average country in an average year. One point is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation), so +1 means about one typical gap above average. These are summaries, not measurements. See how the country scores are built and how the topic scores compare with each other.

ScoreValueRank, all countriesRank, similar incomeMostly income?
Governance score 2025+0.2388 of 17913 of 45moderate +0.53
Health score 2024-0.95191 of 19347 of 47moderate +0.32
Education score 2023-0.30167 of 19936 of 46proxy +0.81
Infrastructure score 2024-0.61202 of 21047 of 47proxy +0.90
Gender score 2024-1.01183 of 18646 of 46moderate +0.37
Environment score 2024-0.30134 of 21334 of 47moderate -0.33
Labour score 2025-0.18133 of 19524 of 47high +0.79

The last column shows how closely each score just tracks national income. The number is its link with GDP per person (the value of everything a country produces, divided by its people), from −1 to +1. A score marked proxy is mostly a measure of how rich the country is. Its rank among all countries says little that GDP per person does not. That is why the rank among similar-income countries sits beside it.

The measures behind them

Every measure reported for Papua New Guinea, grouped by area. Some measures have no agreed better direction, such as population growth, inflation and military spending. They are listed here but left out of every score, since there is no fair way to say which way is better. Some names use technical terms: PPP means adjusted for what money buys in each country, HDI is a United Nations score combining life expectancy, schooling and income, and a Gini indexmeasures how unequally income is shared. Each measure’s own page explains it.

crime

Conflict deaths0.288per 100,000 people2025higher is worse
Armed conflict present11 if any conflict, else 02025higher is worse
Homicide rate9.34per 100,000 population2010higher is worse

culture

Religiously unaffiliated0.311%% of population2020no agreed direction
Christian share99.1%% of population2020no agreed direction
Muslim share0.0748%% of population2020no agreed direction
Women in a union66.9%% of women aged 15-492018no agreed direction

demography

Median age22.3years2023no agreed direction
Age at childbearing29.3years2023no agreed direction
Population10,762,817people2025no agreed direction
Population growth1.75%% per year2025no agreed direction
Urbanization15.8%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 65+3.59%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 0-1433.1%% of population2025no agreed direction
Fertility rate3.07births per woman2024no agreed direction
Birth rate24.3per 1,000 people2024no agreed direction
Net migration-284people2025no agreed direction
Migrant share of population0.3%% of population2024no agreed direction

economy

HDI0.576index, 0 to 12023higher is better
Inequality-adjusted HDI0.423index, 0 to 12023higher is better
GDP per capita (PPP)$4,456international $2025higher is better
GNI per capita (PPP)$3,735international $2021higher is better
GDP per capita (market)$2,665US$2025higher is better
GDP growth5.64%% per year2025no agreed direction
Inflation4.42%% per year2025no agreed direction
FDI inflows-0.644%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Tax revenue15.5%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Government expense20.3%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Military spending0.308%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Employment in agriculture36.9%% of employment2025no agreed direction

education

Primary completion66%% of children2025higher is better
Expected schooling11.5years2023higher is better
Mean years of schooling4.96years2023higher is better
Education spending0.782%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Primary enrollment121%% gross2023higher is better
Secondary enrollment52.1%% gross2023higher is better
Adult literacy87%% of adults2022higher is better
Out of school, primary4%% of primary-age children2021higher is worse
Pupil-teacher ratio35.5pupils per teacher2016higher is worse
Researchers33.2per million people2016higher is better

environment

CO2 per capita0.517t CO2e per capita2024higher is worse
Forest area79%% of land area2023higher is better
Agricultural land3.1%% of land area2023no agreed direction
Protected land3.7%% of land area2025higher is better

gender

Gender Inequality Index0.584index, 0 to 12023higher is worse
Gender Development Index0.926ratio of women's HDI to men's2023no agreed direction
Women's political empowerment0.48index (0-1)2025higher is better
Women ministers2.7%% of ministers2024higher is better
Women in parliament2.7%% of seats2025higher is better
Women in management17.7%% of managers2022higher is better
Married by 1827.3%% of women aged 20-242018higher is worse

governance

Corruption Perceptions Index31index (0-100, higher = cleaner)2024higher is better
Political rights (FH)4rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Civil liberties (FH)3rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Pre-trial detainee share42.9%% of prisoners2023higher is worse
Refugees originating4.77per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Electoral democracy0.467index (0-1)2025higher is better
Liberal democracy0.384index (0-1)2025higher is better
Participatory democracy0.28index (0-1)2025higher is better
Free and fair elections0.27index (0-1)2025higher is better
Regime type1regime category (0-3)2025higher is better
Political corruption0.684index (0-1)2025higher is worse
Freedom of expression0.839index (0-1)2025higher is better
Freedom of association0.879index (0-1)2025higher is better
Political civil liberties0.889index (0-1)2025higher is better
Civil society participation0.604index (0-1)2025higher is better
Birth registration13.4%% of children under 52018higher is better
Control of corruption-0.797index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Rule of law-0.571index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Government effectiveness-0.9index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Regulatory quality-0.6index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Voice and accountability-0.326index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Political stability-0.654index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better

health

Life expectancy66.3years2024higher is better
Infant mortality31.3per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Under-5 mortality39.4per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Health spending2.87%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Suicide rate1.82per 100,0002021higher is worse
Hospital beds0.62per 1,000 people2023no agreed direction
Basic water access53.3%% of population2024higher is better
Basic sanitation23.6%% of population2024higher is better
Child stunting47.6%% of children under 52024higher is worse
Adolescent fertility53.5births per 1,000 women aged 15-192024higher is worse
Maternal mortality189per 100,000 live births2023higher is worse
Skilled birth attendance56.4%% of births2018higher is better
Alcohol consumption1.13litres per adult per year2020no agreed direction
Tobacco use39.3%% of adults2024higher is worse
Road traffic deaths12.6per 100,000 population2019higher is worse
Physicians0.061per 1,000 people2023higher is better
DTP3 immunisation42%% of children aged 12-23 months2024higher is better
HIV prevalence1.5%% of adults aged 15-492024higher is worse
Tuberculosis incidence664per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Premature NCD mortality28.5%% probability, ages 30-702021higher is worse
Anaemia in women28.8%% of women aged 15-492023higher is worse
Out-of-pocket health spending8.55%% of health spending2023higher is worse
Undernourishment28.7%% of population2023higher is worse
Food insecurity57.3%% of population2019higher is worse
Adult obesity28%% of adults2024higher is worse
Health coverage index32index, 0 to 1002023higher is better

infrastructure

Internet users18.8%% of population2024higher is better
Mobile subscriptions38.8per 100 people2024higher is better
Electricity access43.3%% of population2024higher is better
Slum share of urban population22.3%% of urban population2022higher is worse
Fixed broadband0.233per 100 people2024higher is better

labor

Unemployment2.57%% of labor force2025higher is worse
Female labor participation50.8%% of women 15+2025no agreed direction
Male labor participation53.3%% of men 15+2025no agreed direction
Youth not in work or study27.7%% of 15 to 24 year olds2022higher is worse
Vulnerable employment71.2%% of employment2025higher is worse

Values are the most recent in 2010–2025, and different measures can come from different years. The year is shown beside each. Nothing here ranks countries by merit. An area score averages whatever measures its publishers happen to collect, and the choice of what to collect is itself a judgement made by someone else. All countries · How the country data works

Countries to compare with Papua New Guinea

Also in East Asia & Pacific: American Samoa, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong SAR, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, Dem. People's Rep., Korea, Rep., Lao PDR, Macao SAR, China, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Mongolia, Myanmar, Naoero, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam.

Also lower middle income, in other regions: Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Rep., Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Arab Rep., Eswatini, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, RB, West Bank and Gaza, Zambia, Zimbabwe.