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East and Southeast Asia
Page last updated: July 24, 2024
Papua New Guinea (PNG) occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea; the western half is part of Indonesia. PNG was first settled between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. Its harsh geography of mountains, jungles, and numerous river valleys kept many of the arriving groups isolated, giving rise to PNG’s ethnic and linguistic diversity. Around 500 B.C., Austronesian voyagers settled along the coast. Spanish and Portuguese explorers periodically visited the island starting in the 1500s, but none made it into the country’s interior. American and British whaling ships frequented the islands off the coast of New Guinea in the mid-1800s. In 1884, Germany declared a protectorate -- and eventually a colony -- over the northern part of what would become PNG and named it German New Guinea; days later the UK followed suit on the southern part and nearby islands and called it Papua. Most of their focus was on the coastal regions, leaving the highlands largely unexplored.
The UK put its colony under Australian administration in 1902 and formalized the act in 1906. At the outbreak of World War I, Australia occupied German New Guinea and continued to rule it after the war as a League of Nations Mandate. The discovery of gold along the Bulolo River in the 1920s led prospectors to venture into the highlands, where they found about 1 million people living in isolated communities. The New Guinea campaign of World War II lasted from January 1942 to the Japanese surrender in August 1945. After the war, Australia combined the two territories and administered PNG as a UN trusteeship. In 1975, PNG gained independence and became a member of the Commonwealth.
Between 1988-1997, a secessionist movement on the island province of Bougainville, located off the eastern PNG coast, fought the PNG Government, resulting in 15,000-20,000 deaths. In 1997, the PNG Government and Bougainville leaders reached a cease-fire and subsequently signed a peace agreement in 2001. The Autonomous Bougainville Government was formally established in 2005. Bougainvilleans voted in favor of independence in a 2019 non-binding referendum. The Bougainville and PNG governments are in the process of negotiating a roadmap for independence, which requires approval by the PNG parliament.
Oceania, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia
6 00 S, 147 00 E
Oceania
Total : 462,840 km²
Land: 452,860 km²
Water: 9,980 km²
Slightly larger than California
Area comparison map:
Total: 824 km
Border countries (1): Indonesia 824 km
5,152 km
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
Tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation
Mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills
Highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 667 m
Gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries
Agricultural land: 2.6% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0.4% (2018 est.)
Forest: 63.1% (2018 est.)
Other: 34.3% (2018 est.)
0 km² (2022)
Sepik river source and mouth (shared with Indonesia) - 1,126 km; Fly river source and mouth (shared with Indonesia) - 1,050 km
Population concentrated in the highlands and eastern coastal areas on the island of New Guinea; predominantly a rural distribution with only about one-fifth of the population residing in urban areas
Active volcanism; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis
Volcanism: severe volcanic activity; Ulawun (2,334 m), one of Papua New Guinea's potentially most dangerous volcanoes, has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Rabaul (688 m) destroyed the city of Rabaul in 1937 and 1994; Lamington erupted in 1951 killing 3,000 people; Manam's 2004 eruption forced the island's abandonment; other historically active volcanoes include Bam, Bagana, Garbuna, Karkar, Langila, Lolobau, Long Island, Pago, St. Andrew Strait, Victory, and Waiowa; see note 2 under "Geography - note"
Note 1: shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; generally east-west trending highlands break up New Guinea into diverse ecoregions; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast
Note 2: two major food crops apparently developed on the island of New Guinea: bananas and sugarcane
Note 3: Papua New Guinea is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire
Total: 10,046,233
Male: 5,092,262
Female: 4,953,971 (2024 est.)
Comparison rankings: female 95; male 93; total 93
Noun: Papua New Guinean(s)
Adjective: Papua New Guinean
Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian
Tok Pisin (official), English (official), Hiri Motu (official), some 839 living indigenous languages are spoken (about 12% of the world's total); many languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers
Note: Tok Pisin, a creole language, is widely used and understood; English is spoken by 1%-2%; Hiri Motu is spoken by less than 2%
Protestant 64.3% (Evangelical Lutheran 18.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.9%, Pentecostal 10.4%, United Church 10.3%, Evangelical Alliance 5.9%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.8%, Salvation Army 0.4%), Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 5.3%, non-Christian 1.4%, unspecified 3.1% (2011 est.)
Note: data represent only the citizen population; roughly 0.3% of the population are non-citizens, consisting of Christian 52% (predominantly Roman Catholic), other 10.7% , none 37.3%
0-14 years: 37.1% (male 1,902,272/female 1,825,471)
15-64 years: 58.9% (male 2,991,479/female 2,923,410)
65 years and over: 4% (2024 est.) (male 198,511/female 205,090)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 60.5
Youth dependency ratio: 55.5
Elderly dependency ratio: 5
Potential support ratio: 20.1 (2021 est.)
Total: 21.7 years (2024 est.)
Male: 21.6 years
Female: 21.9 years
2.26% (2024 est.)
28.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Population concentrated in the highlands and eastern coastal areas on the island of New Guinea; predominantly a rural distribution with only about one-fifth of the population residing in urban areas
Urban population: 13.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
410,000 PORT MORESBY (capital) (2023)
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
21.9 years (2016/18)
Note: data represents median age a first birth among women 25-49
192 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Total: 32 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 35.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 28.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 70.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 68.3 years
Female: 71.9 years
3.79 children born/woman (2024 est.)
1.85 (2024 est.)
36.7% (2016/18)
Improved: urban: 86.2% of population
Rural: 41.5% of population
Total: 47.5% of population
Unimproved: urban: 13.8% of population
Rural: 58.5% of population
Total: 52.5% of population (2020 est.)
2.5% of GDP (2020)
0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2019)
Improved: urban: 57.8% of population
Rural: 18.2% of population
Total: 23.5% of population
Unimproved: urban: 42.2% of population
Rural: 81.8% of population
Total: 76.5% of population (2020 est.)
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and sexually transmitted diseases: hepatitis B (2024)
21.3% (2016)
Total: 1.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer: 0.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine: 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits: 0.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Total: 39.3% (2020 est.)
Male: 53.5% (2020 est.)
Female: 25.1% (2020 est.)
65.5% (2023 est.)
Women married by age 15: 8%
Women married by age 18: 27.3%
Men married by age 18: 3.7% (2018 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 64.2%
Male: 65.6%
Female: 62.8% (2015)
The indigenous population of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one of the most heterogeneous in the world; PNG has several thousand separate communities, most with only a few hundred people; divided by language, customs, and tradition, some of these communities have engaged in low-scale tribal conflict with their neighbors for millennia; the advent of modern weapons and modern migrants into urban areas has greatly magnified the impact of this lawlessness
Rain forest loss as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; unsustainable logging practices result in soil erosion, water quality degredation, and loss of habitat and biodiversity; large-scale mining projects cause adverse impacts on forests and water quality (discharge of heavy metals, cyanide, and acids into rivers); severe drought; inappropriate farming practices accelerate land degradion (soil erosion, siltation, loss of soil fertility); destructive fishing practices and coastal pollution due to run-off from land-based activities and oil spills
Party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
Signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
Tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation
Agricultural land: 2.6% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0.4% (2018 est.)
Forest: 63.1% (2018 est.)
Other: 34.3% (2018 est.)
Urban population: 13.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
2.08% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 8.89 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 7.54 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 11.05 megatons (2020 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 1 million tons (2014 est.)
Municipal solid waste recycled annually: 20,000 tons (2016 est.)
Percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 2% (2016 est.)
Sepik river source and mouth (shared with Indonesia) - 1,126 km; Fly river source and mouth (shared with Indonesia) - 1,050 km
Municipal: 220 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 170 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 1 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
801 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Conventional short form: Papua New Guinea
Local short form: Papuaniugini
Former: German New Guinea, British New Guinea, Territory of Papua and New Guinea
Abbreviation: PNG
Etymology: the word "papua" derives from the Malay "papuah" describing the frizzy hair of the Melanesians; Spanish explorer Ynigo ORTIZ de RETEZ applied the term "Nueva Guinea" to the island of New Guinea in 1545 after noting the resemblance of the locals to the peoples of the Guinea coast of Africa
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Name: Port Moresby
Geographic coordinates: 9 27 S, 147 11 E
Time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Time zone note: Papua New Guinea has two time zones, including Bougainville (UTC+11)
Etymology: named in 1873 by Captain John MORESBY (1830-1922) in honor of his father, British Admiral Sir Fairfax MORESBY (1786-1877)
20 provinces, 1 autonomous region*, and 1 district**; Bougainville*, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Hela, Jiwaka, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital**, New Ireland, Northern, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain, West Sepik
16 September 1975 (from the Australia-administered UN trusteeship)
Independence Day, 16 September (1975)
History: adopted 15 August 1975, effective at independence 16 September 1975
Amendments: proposed by the National Parliament; passage has prescribed majority vote requirements depending on the constitutional sections being amended – absolute majority, two-thirds majority, or three-fourths majority; amended many times, last in 2016
Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Papua New Guinea
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years
18 years of age; universal
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Grand Chief Sir Bob DADAE (since 28 February 2017)
Head of government: Prime Minister James MARAPE (since 30 May 2019)
Cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general nominated by the National Parliament and appointed by the chief of state; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general pending the outcome of a National Parliament vote
Election results: James MARAPE reelected prime minister; National Parliament vote - 105 out of 118
Description: unicameral National Parliament (111 seats; 89 members directly elected from open constituencies and 22 governors directly elected from provincial constituencies; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held from 4-22 July 2022 (next to be held in June 2027)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PANGU PATI - 39, PNC - 17, URP - 11, NAP - 6, SDP - 4, PFP - 4, PP – 4, PNGP – 3, ULP - 3, Advance PNG - 2, National Party - 2, Liberal Party - 2, AP - 1, Destiny Party - 1, Greens - 1, MAP - 1, NGP - 1, ODP - 1, PLP - 1, PMC - 1, PPP - 1, PRP - 1, THE - 1, independent - 10; composition - men 108, women 3, percentage women 2.7%
Highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, deputy chief justice, 35 justices, and 5 acting justices); National Courts (consists of 13 courts located in the provincial capitals, with a total of 19 resident judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the governor general upon advice of the National Executive Council (cabinet) after consultation with the National Justice Administration minister; deputy chief justice and other justices appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, a 5-member body that includes the Supreme Court chief and deputy chief justices, the chief ombudsman, and a member of the National Parliament; full-time citizen judges appointed for 10-year renewable terms; non-citizen judges initially appointed for 3-year renewable terms and after first renewal can serve until age 70; appointment and tenure of National Court resident judges NA
Subordinate courts: district, village, and juvenile courts, military courts, taxation courts, coronial courts, mining warden courts, land courts, traffic courts, committal courts, grade five courts
Destiny Party [Marsh NAREWEC]
Liberal Party [John PUNDARI]
Melanesian Alliance Party or MAP [Joseph YOPYYOPY]
Melanesian Liberal Party or MLP [Dr Allan MARAT]
National Alliance Party or NAP [Walter SCHNAUBELT]
Our Development Party or ODP [Puka TEMU]
Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU PATI [James MARAPE]
Papua New Guinea Greens Party [Richard MASERE]
Papua New Guinea National Party [Kerenga KUA]
Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP [Belden NAMAH]
People's First Party or PFP [Richard MARU]
People's Movement for Change or PMC [Gary JUFFA]
People's National Congress Party or PNC [Peter Paire O'NEILL]
People’s National Party [Kerenga KUA]
People's Party or PP [Dr Lino TOM]
People's Progress Party or PPP [Sir Julius CHAN]
People's Reform Party or PRP [James DONALD]
PNG Party [Belden NAMAH]
Social Democratic Party or SDP [Powes PARKOP]
Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party or THE [Don POLYE]
United Labor Party or ULP [Koni IGUAN]
United Resources Party or URP [William DUMA]
ACP, ADB, AOSIS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (observer), C, CD, CP, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five, white, five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered; red, black, and yellow are traditional colors of Papua New Guinea; the bird of paradise - endemic to the island of New Guinea - is an emblem of regional tribal culture and represents the emergence of Papua New Guinea as a nation; the Southern Cross, visible in the night sky, symbolizes Papua New Guinea's connection with Australia and several other countries in the South Pacific
Bird of paradise; national colors: red, black
Name: "O Arise All You Sons"
Lyrics/music: Thomas SHACKLADY
Note: adopted 1975
Total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales: Kuk Early Agricultural Site
Lower middle-income Pacific island economy; primarily informal agrarian sector; natural resource-rich; key liquified natural gas exporter; growing young workforce; slow post-pandemic recovery; increasingly impoverished citizenry; sustainable inflation
$42.9 billion (2023 est.)
$41.779 billion (2022 est.)
$39.728 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
2.68% (2023 est.)
5.17% (2022 est.)
-0.78% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$4,200 (2023 est.)
$4,100 (2022 est.)
$4,000 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
$30.932 billion (2023 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
2.3% (2023 est.)
5.25% (2022 est.)
4.48% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Moody's rating: B2 (2016)
Standard & Poors rating: B- (2020)
Note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Agriculture: 22.1% (2017 est.)
Industry: 42.9% (2017 est.)
Services: 35% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: services 219; industry 22; agriculture 40
Household consumption: 43.7% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 19.7% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 10% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.4% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 49.3% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -22.3% (2017 est.)
Oil palm fruit, coconuts, bananas, fruits, sweet potatoes, game meat, yams, root vegetables, sugarcane, vegetables (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Oil and gas; mining (gold, copper, and nickel); palm oil processing; plywood and wood chip production; copra crushing; construction; tourism; fishing; livestock (pork, poultry, cattle) and dairy farming; spice products (turmeric, vanilla, ginger, cardamom, chili, pepper, citronella, and nutmeg)
6.61% (2022 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
3.229 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
2.65% (2023 est.)
2.69% (2022 est.)
2.91% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
Total: 5.3% (2021 est.)
Male: 6.3%
Female: 4.2%
37% (2002 est.)
41.9 (2009 est.)
Lowest 10%: 1.7%
Highest 10%: 40.5% (1996)
0.01% of GDP (2023 est.)
0.01% of GDP (2022 est.)
0.05% of GDP (2021 est.)
Note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Revenues: $4.039 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $5.135 billion (2019 est.)
-4.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
48.26% of GDP (2022 est.)
52.58% of GDP (2021 est.)
48.68% of GDP (2020 est.)
Note: central government debt as a % of GDP
14.79% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
$4.499 billion (2021 est.)
$3.419 billion (2020 est.)
$3.559 billion (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
$11.625 billion (2021 est.)
$9.175 billion (2020 est.)
$11.236 billion (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Japan 26%, China 22%, Australia 11%, South Korea 10%, Taiwan 9% (2022)
Note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Natural gas, gold, palm oil, crude petroleum, copper ore (2022)
Note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
$6.303 billion (2021 est.)
$5.282 billion (2020 est.)
$6.329 billion (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
China 26%, Australia 23%, Singapore 16%, Malaysia 9%, Indonesia 4% (2022)
Note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Refined petroleum, rice, plastic products, excavation machinery, trucks (2022)
Note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
$3.983 billion (2022 est.)
$3.24 billion (2021 est.)
$2.686 billion (2020 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
$17.94 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$18.28 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Kina (PGK) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
3.519 (2022 est.)
3.509 (2021 est.)
3.46 (2020 est.)
3.388 (2019 est.)
3.293 (2018 est.)
Electrification - total population: 19% (2022 est.)
Electrification - urban areas: 65.1%
Electrification - rural areas: 14.2%
Installed generating capacity: 1.263 million kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 4.524 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 318.563 million kWh (2022 est.)
Comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 71; consumption 132; installed generating capacity 131
Fossil fuels: 74.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 16.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Geothermal: 8.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Biomass and waste: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Imports: 9,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
Total petroleum production: 32,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 27,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 159.656 million barrels (2021 est.)
Production: 10.837 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Consumption: 166.98 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Exports: 10.67 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 183.125 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
4.375 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 4.048 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 328,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
6.565 million Btu/person (2022 est.)
Total subscriptions: 166,000 (2021 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2021 est.)
Total subscriptions: 4.818 million (2021 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48 (2021 est.)
General assessment: fixed-line teledensity in Papua New Guinea has seen little change over the past two decades; progress in the country’s telecom sector has come primarily from mobile networks, where accessibility has expanded considerably in recent years, with population coverage increasing from less than 3% in 2006 to more than 90% by early 2021; the MNOs operate networks offering services based on GSM, 3G, and 4G, depending on location; GSM is prevalent in many rural and remote areas, while 3G and 4G are centered more on urban areas; MNOs’ investments in 4G are growing, though GSM still represents the bulk of all mobile connections owing to the low penetration of smartphones and the concentration of high-speed data networks predominantly in high value urban areas; a lack of sufficient competition and investment in the wire line segment has driven up prices and hampered network coverage and quality; infrastructure deployment costs are high, partly due to the relatively low subscriber base, the difficult terrain, and the high proportion of the population living in rural areas; fixed telecom infrastructure is almost non-existent outside urban centers, leaving most of the population under served; PNG is the Pacific region’s largest poorly developed telecom market, with only around 22% of its people connected to the internet; this falls far behind the recommended targets set in the country’s draft National Broadband Policy, which aimed to provide universal mobile broadband access; low international capacity has meant that internet services are slow and unreliable; two subsea cables connect PNG to Australia (landing at Sydney) and the United States (Guam); despite the improvement in recent years, the country is still impacted by a connectivity infrastructure deficit, making it reliant on more expensive alternatives such as satellites, also weighing on the affordability of services for end-users; the government granted a license to Starlink at the beginning of 2024, which should improve digital access in rural areas (2023)
Domestic: fixed-line nearly 2 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 48 per 100 persons (2021)
International: country code - 675; landing points for the Kumul Domestic Submarine Cable System, PNG-LNG, APNG-2, CSCS the PPC-1 submarine cables to Australia, Guam, PNG and Solomon Islands; and CS² to PNG, Solomon Islands, and Australia; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2023)
5 TV stations: 1 commercial station (TV Wan), 2 state-run stations, (National Broadcasting Corporation and EMTV - formerly a commercial TV station previously owned by Fiji Television Limited but PNG’s Telikom purchased it in Jan 2016, hence being state-run); 1 digital free-to-view network launched in 2014, and 1 satellite network Click TV (PNGTV) launched in 2015; the state-run NBC operates 3 radio networks with multiple repeaters and about 20 provincial stations; several commercial radio stations with multiple transmission points as well as several community stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters are accessible (2023)
.pg
Total: 3.168 million (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 32% (2021 est.)
Total: 21,000 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.2 (2020 est.)
Number of registered air carriers: 6 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 48
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 964,713 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 30.93 million (2018) mt-km
P2
535 (2024)
3 (2024)
264 km oil (2013)
Total: 24,862 km
Paved: 2,647 km
Unpaved: 22,215 km (2015)
11,000 km (2011)
Total: 205 (2023)
By type: container ship 6, general cargo 89, oil tanker 4, other 106
Total ports: 22 (2024)
Large: 0
Medium: 0
Small: 6
Very small: 16
Ports with oil terminals: 8
Key ports: Kavieng Harbor, Kieta, Port Moresby, Rabaul, Vanimo, Wewak Harbor
Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF): Land Element, Maritime Element, Air Element
Ministry of Internal Security: Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) (2024)
0.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
0.3% of GDP (2022 est.)
0.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
0.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
0.3% of GDP (2019 est.)
Approximately 2,500 active-duty PNGDF troops (2023)
The PNGDF is lightly armed; most of its military assistance has come from Australia (2023)
18-27 for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2024)
The Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF) is a small and lightly armed force tasked with defense of the country and its territories against external attack, as well as internal security and socio-economic development duties; following some inter-tribal violence in Wapenamanda in early 2024, the PNGDF was given arrest powers
The PNGDF was established in 1973, and its primary combat unit, the Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (RPIR), is descended from Australian Army infantry battalions comprised of native soldiers and led by Australian officers and non-commissioned officers formed during World War II to help fight the Japanese; the RPIR was disbanded after the war, but reestablished in 1951 as part of the Australian Army where it continued to serve until Papua New Guinea (PNG) gained its independence in 1975, when it became part of the PNGDF
PNG's security partners include Australia, France, Indonesia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US; the US and PNG signed a defense cooperation agreement in 2023, which included a shiprider agreement that provides the opportunity for PNG personnel to work on US Coast Guard and US Navy vessels, and vice versa, to tackle maritime crime such as illegal fishing; the agreement also allowed the US military to develop and operate out of bases in PNG with the PNG Government’s approval (2024)
Refugees (country of origin): 11,432 (Indonesia) (mid-year 2022)
IDPs: 91,000 (tribal conflict, inter-communal violence) (2022)
Stateless persons: 15 (2022)
Tier rating: Tier 3 — Papua New Guinea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore, Papua New Guinea was downgraded to Tier 3; officials took some steps such as investigating government complicity in a sex trafficking syndicate; however, the government did not prosecute or convict any traffickers or identify and assist victims, and it often deported potential victims without screening them; endemic corruption and complicity among officials, particularly in the logging and fishing sectors, left foreigners and locals vulnerable to trafficking; the lack of resources for anti-trafficking efforts, low awareness among officials and the public, and lack of training and awareness activities continued to hinder progress (2023)
Transit point for smuggling drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine; major consumer of cannabis