Nations by Numbers

East Asia & Pacific

Papua New Guinea in numbers

Papua New Guinea is in East Asia & Pacific and is classed by the World Bank as lower middle income. Its capital is Port Moresby. Its population was 10.76 million in 2025, ranking 91 of 217 countries. GDP per person was US$3,020 in 2025.

Population10.76 million2025
GDPUS$32.5 billion2025
GDP per personUS$3,0202025
Life expectancy66.32024
Area462,8402024
Urban share15.8%2025

People

Population

10.76 million
2025 · +94% since 2000 · Rank 91 of 217

Population growth (annual %)

1.75%
2025 · 3.45% in 2000 · Rank 60 of 217

Population density (people per km²)

23.4
2024 · +91% since 2000 · Rank 182 of 216

Urban population (% of total)

15.8%
2025 · 13.2% in 2000 · Rank 216 of 217

Population aged 0 to 14 (% of total)

33.1%
2025 · 40.0% in 2000 · Rank 56 of 217

Population aged 65 and over (% of total)

3.6%
2025 · 2.5% in 2000 · Rank 176 of 217

Fertility rate (births per woman)

3.07
2024 · -32% since 2000 · Rank 55 of 217

Health and living standards

Life expectancy at birth (years)

66.3
2024 · +8% since 2000 · Rank 185 of 217

Under-5 mortality (per 1,000 live births)

39.4
2024 · -45% since 2000 · Rank 39 of 196

Health spending per person (current US$)

US$85
2023 · +352% since 2000 · Rank 148 of 193

Access to electricity (% of population)

43.3%
2024 · 12.4% in 2000 · Rank 203 of 215

Internet users (% of population)

18.8%
2024 · 0.8% in 2000 · Rank 178 of 186

Primary school enrolment (% gross)

121.1%
2023 · 68.4% in 2000 · Rank 9 of 190

Economy

GDP (current US$)

US$32.5 billion
2025 · +823% since 2000 · Rank 111 of 210

GDP per person (current US$)

US$3,020
2025 · +375% since 2000 · Rank 164 of 210

GDP per person, PPP (current international $)

Int$5,215
2025 · +137% since 2000 · Rank 164 of 199

GDP growth (annual %)

5.64%
2025 · -2.49% in 2000 · Rank 40 of 210

Inflation, consumer prices (annual %)

4.42%
2025 · 15.60% in 2000 · Rank 48 of 180

Unemployment (% of labour force, ILO estimate)

2.6%
2025 · 2.9% in 2000 · Rank 163 of 187

Exports of goods and services (% of GDP)

72.2%
2004 · 66.2% in 2000

Personal remittances received (% of GDP)

0.0%
2024 · 0.2% in 2000 · Rank 176 of 176

Land and environment

Land and water area (km²)

462,840
2024 · +0% since 2000 · Rank 56 of 216

Forest area (% of land area)

75.2%
2024 · 76.0% in 2000 · Rank 10 of 214

CO₂ emissions per person (tonnes)

0.52
2024 · -2% since 2000 · Rank 161 of 203

Elsewhere in East Asia & Pacific

American SamoaAustraliaBrunei DarussalamChinaFijiMicronesia, Fed. Sts.GuamHong Kong SAR, ChinaIndonesiaJapanCambodiaKiribati

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators, updated 8 October 2026. Each figure is the latest year available for Papua New Guinea. Rankings compare countries with data from the same or recent years.