Papua New Guinea

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. 

land

452,860 sq km

total

462,840 sq km

water

9,980 sq km

slightly larger than California

tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation

5,152 km

highest point

Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

mean elevation

667 m

6 00 S, 147 00 E

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 coastnote 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

0 sq km (2022)

border countries

Indonesia 824 km

total

824 km

agricultural land

2.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0.4% (2018 est.)

forest

63.1% (2018 est.)

other

34.3% (2018 est.)

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

Sepik river source and mouth (shared with Indonesia) - 1,126 km; Fly river source and mouth (shared with Indonesia) - 1,050 km

Oceania

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

note

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

territorial sea

12 nm

active volcanism; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamisvolcanism: 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"

gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries

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

mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

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)

beer

0.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

1.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

28.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

men married by age 18

3.7% (2018 est.)

women married by age 15

8%

women married by age 18

27.3%

36.7% (2016/18)

2.5% of GDP (2020)

65.5% (2023 est.)

5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

5

potential support ratio

20.1 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

60.5

youth dependency ratio

55.5

improved: rural

rural: 41.5% of population

improved: total

total: 47.5% of population

improved: urban

urban: 86.2% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 58.5% of population

unimproved: total

total: 52.5% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 13.8% of population

1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

1.85 (2024 est.)

female

28.6 deaths/1,000 live births

male

35.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total

32 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Tok Pisin (official), English (official), Hiri Motu (official), some 839 living indigenous languages are spoken (about 12% of the world's total)

note

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%

female

71.9 years

male

68.3 years

total population

70.1 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

62.8% (2015)

male

65.6%

total population

64.2%

410,000 PORT MORESBY (capital) (2023)

192 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

female

21.9 years

male

21.6 years

total

21.7 years (2024 est.)

21.9 years (2016/18)

note

note: data represents median age a first birth among women 25-49

adjective

Papua New Guinean

noun

Papua New Guinean(s)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

21.3% (2016)

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

0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

female

4,953,971 (2024 est.)

male

5,092,262

total

10,046,233

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

2.26% (2024 est.)

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

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%

improved: rural

rural: 18.2% of population

improved: total

total: 23.5% of population

improved: urban

urban: 57.8% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 81.8% of population

unimproved: total

total: 76.5% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 42.2% of population

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

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

25.1% (2020 est.)

male

53.5% (2020 est.)

total

39.3% (2020 est.)

3.79 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

13.7% of total population (2023)

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

etymology

named in 1873 by Captain John MORESBY (1830-1922) in honor of his father, British Admiral Sir Fairfax MORESBY (1786-1877)

geographic coordinates

9 27 S, 147 11 E

name

Port Moresby

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)

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

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

history

adopted 15 August 1975, effective at independence 16 September 1975

abbreviation

PNG

conventional long form

Independent State of Papua New Guinea

conventional short form

Papua New Guinea

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

former

German New Guinea, British New Guinea, Territory of Papua and New Guinea

local short form

Papuaniugini

chief of mission

Ambassador Ann Marie YASTISHOCK (since 22 February 2024); note - also accredited to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

email address and website

ConsularPortMoresby@state.govhttps://pg.usembassy.gov/

embassy

Harbour City Road, Konedobu, Port Moresby, NCD, Papua New Guinea

mailing address

4240 Port Moresby Pl, Washington DC 20521-4240

telephone

[675] 308-9100

chancery

1825 K Street NW, Suite 1010, Washington, DC 20006

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Cephas KAYO (since 31 January 2018)

email address and website

info@pngembassy.orghttp://www.pngembassy.org/

FAX

[1] (202) 745-3679

telephone

[1] (202) 745-3680

cabinet

National Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister

chief of state

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Grand Chief Sir Bob DADAE (since 28 February 2017)

election results

James MARAPE reelected prime minister; National Parliament vote - 105 out of 118

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

head of government

Prime Minister James MARAPE (since 30 May 2019)

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

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

16 September 1975 (from the Australia-administered UN trusteeship)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

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

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

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law

description

unicameral National Parliament (111 seats; 89 members directly elected from single-seat open constituencies and 22 governors directly elected from 20 provincial constituencies, 1 autonomous region, and 1 district - all by instant runoff preferential vote; members serve 5-year terms)

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%

elections

last held from 4-22 July 2022 (next to be held in June 2027)

lyrics/music

Thomas SHACKLADY

name

"O Arise All You Sons"

note

note: adopted 1975

selected World Heritage Site locales

Kuk Early Agricultural Site

total World Heritage Sites

1 (cultural)

Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

bird of paradise; national colors: red, black

Destiny Party Liberal Party Melanesian Alliance Party or MAP Melanesian Liberal Party or MLP National Alliance Party or NAP Our Development Party or ODP Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU PATI Papua New Guinea Greens Party Papua New Guinea National Party Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP People's First Party or PFP People's Movement for Change or PMC People's National Congress Party or PNC People’s National Party People's Party or PP People's Progress Party or PPP People's Reform Party or PRP PNG Party Social Democratic Party or SDP Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party or THE United Labor Party or ULP United Resources Party or URP 

18 years of age; universal

oil palm fruit, coconuts, bananas, fruits, sweet potatoes, game meat, yams, root vegetables, sugarcane, vegetables (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

expenditures

$6.156 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

revenues

$5.268 billion (2022 est.)

Moody's rating

B2 (2016)

note

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Standard & Poors rating

B- (2020)

Current account balance 2019

$3.559 billion (2019 est.)

Current account balance 2020

$3.419 billion (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2021

$4.499 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external 2022

$6.35 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

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

Currency

kina (PGK) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2018

3.293 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

3.388 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

3.46 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

3.509 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

3.519 (2022 est.)

Exports 2019

$11.236 billion (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$9.175 billion (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$11.625 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

natural gas, gold, palm oil, crude petroleum, copper ore (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Japan 26%, China 22%, Australia 11%, South Korea 10%, Taiwan 9% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

49.3% (2017 est.)

government consumption

19.7% (2017 est.)

household consumption

43.7% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-22.3% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

10% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

0.4% (2017 est.)

agriculture

16.9% (2022 est.)

industry

40.3% (2022 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

39% (2022 est.)

$30.932 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Imports 2019

$6.329 billion (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$5.282 billion (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$6.303 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, rice, plastic products, excavation machinery, trucks (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

China 26%, Australia 23%, Singapore 16%, Malaysia 9%, Indonesia 4% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

6.61% (2022 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

4.48% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

5.25% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

2.3% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

3.229 million (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

note

note: central government debt as a % of GDP

Public debt 2022

48.26% of GDP (2022 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$39.728 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$41.779 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$42.9 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

-0.78% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

5.17% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

2.68% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$4,000 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$4,100 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$4,200 (2023 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2021

0.05% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

0.01% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

0.01% of GDP (2023 est.)

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020

$2.686 billion (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$3.24 billion (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$3.983 billion (2022 est.)

14.79% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

note

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

2.91% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

2.69% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

2.65% (2023 est.)

female

2.9% (2023 est.)

male

4.5% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

3.7% (2023 est.)

from consumed natural gas

328,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

4.048 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

4.375 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

imports

9,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption

4.524 billion kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

1.263 million kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

318.563 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - rural areas

14.2%

electrification - total population

19% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

65.1%

biomass and waste

0.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

74.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

geothermal

8.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

hydroelectricity

16.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

0.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

6.565 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

consumption

166.98 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports

10.67 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

production

10.837 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves

183.125 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

159.656 million barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

27,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

total petroleum production

32,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

0.2 (2020 est.)

total

21,000 (2020 est.)

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

percent of population

32% (2021 est.)

total

3.168 million (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line nearly 2 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 48 per 100 persons (2021)

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)

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)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

2 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

166,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

48 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

4.818 million (2021 est.)

535 (2024)

P2

3 (2024)

by type

container ship 6, general cargo 89, oil tanker 4, other 106

total

205 (2023)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

30.93 million (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

964,713 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

48

number of registered air carriers

6 (2020)

264 km oil (2013)

key ports

Kavieng Harbor, Kieta, Port Moresby, Rabaul, Vanimo, Wewak Harbor

ports with oil terminals

8

small

6

total ports

22 (2024)

very small

16

paved

2,647 km

total

24,862 km

unpaved

22,215 km (2015)

11,000 km (2011)

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 powersthe 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 PNGDFPNG'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)

Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF): Land Element, Maritime Element, Air ElementMinistry of Internal Security: Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) (2024)

approximately 2,500 active-duty PNGDF troops (2023)

the PNGDF is lightly armed; the Land Force has no heavy weapons while the Air and the Maritime forces have a handful of light aircraft and small patrol boats provided by Australia (2024)

Military Expenditures 2019

0.3% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military Expenditures 2020

0.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

0.4% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

0.3% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

0.3% of GDP (2023 est.)

18-27 for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2024)

transit point for smuggling drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine; major consumer of cannabis

IDPs

91,000 (tribal conflict, inter-communal violence) (2022)

refugees (country of origin)

11,432 (Indonesia) (mid-year 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 remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to:  https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/papua-new-guinea/

carbon dioxide emissions

7.54 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

11.05 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

8.89 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation

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

agricultural land

2.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 1.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0.4% (2018 est.)

forest

63.1% (2018 est.)

other

34.3% (2018 est.)

Sepik river source and mouth (shared with Indonesia) - 1,126 km; Fly river source and mouth (shared with Indonesia) - 1,050 km

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

2.08% of GDP (2018 est.)

801 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural

1 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

170 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

220 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

13.7% of total population (2023)

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.)