2021 Edition

Background

Papua New Guinea (PNG) was first settled between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. PNG’s harsh geography consisting of mountains, jungles, and numerous river valleys, kept many of the arriving groups isolated, giving rise to PNG’s incredible ethnic and linguistic diversity. Agriculture was independently developed by some of these groups. 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. Japan invaded New Guinea in 1941 and reached Papua the following year. Allied victories during the New Guinea campaign pushed out the Japanese, and after the end of the war, Australia combined the two territories into one administration. Sir Michael SOMARE won elections in 1972 on the promise of achieving independence, which was realized in 1975. A secessionist movement in Bougainville, an island well endowed in copper and gold resources, reignited in 1988 with debates about land use, profits, and an influx of outsiders at the Panguna Copper Mine. Following elections in 1992, the PNG government took a hardline stance against Bougainville rebels and the resulting civil war led to about 20,000 deaths. In 1997, the PNG government hired mercenaries to support its troops in Bougainville, sparking an army mutiny and forcing the prime minister to resign. PNG and Bougainville signed a truce in 1997 and a peace agreement in 2001, which granted Bougainville - including some nearby islands - autonomy. An internationally-monitored nonbinding referendum asking Bougainvilleans to chose independence or greater self rule occurred in November 2019, with 98% of voters opting for independence.

Area

land

452,860 sq km

total

462,840 sq km

water

9,980 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than California

Climate

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

Coastline

5,152 km

Elevation

highest point

Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

mean elevation

667 m

Geographic coordinates

6 00 S, 147 00 E

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 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

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

border countries

Indonesia 824 km

total

824 km

Land use

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.)

Location

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

Major rivers (by length in km)

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

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

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

Natural hazards

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"

Natural resources

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

Population distribution

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

Terrain

mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

Age structure

0-14 years

31.98% (male 1,182,539/female 1,139,358)

15-24 years

19.87% (male 731,453/female 711,164)

25-54 years

37.68% (male 1,397,903/female 1,337,143)

55-64 years

5.83% (male 218,529/female 204,717)

65 years and over

4.64% (male 164,734/female 171,916) (2020 est.)

Birth rate

22.08 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

27.8% (2009/11)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

36.7% (2016/18)

Current Health Expenditure

2.4% (2018)

Death rate

5.97 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

5.8

potential support ratio

17.2 (2020 est.)

total dependency ratio

63.2

youth dependency ratio

57.4

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 36.1% of population

improved: total

total: 43% of population

improved: urban

urban: 89.4% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 63.9% of population

unimproved: total

total: 57% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 10.6% of population

Education expenditures

1.9% of GDP (2018)

Ethnic groups

Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.9% (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

<500 (2020 est.)

note

note: estimate does not include children

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

55,000 (2020 est.)

note

note: estimate does not include children

Infant mortality rate

female

35.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

male

45.32 deaths/1,000 live births

total

40.33 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Tok Pisin (official), English (official), Hiri Motu (official), some 839 indigenous languages spoken (about 12% of the world's total); many languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers

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%

Life expectancy at birth

female

72.48 years (2021 est.)

male

67.37 years

total population

69.86 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

62.8% (2015)

male

65.6%

total population

64.2%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases

dengue fever and malaria

Major urban areas - population

391,000 PORT MORESBY (capital) (2021)

Maternal mortality ratio

145 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median age

female

24 years (2020 est.)

male

24 years

total

24 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

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

Nationality

adjective

Papua New Guinean

noun

Papua New Guinean(s)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

21.3% (2016)

People - note

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

Physicians density

0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Population

7,399,757 (July 2021 est.)

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

1.61% (2021 est.)

Religions

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 .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%

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 9.1% of population

improved: total

total: 15.2% of population

improved: urban

urban: 55.5% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 90.9% of population

unimproved: total

total: 84.8% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 44.5% of population

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.05 male(s)/female

55-64 years

1.07 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.96 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.79 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

13.5% of total population (2021)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

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

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

Constitution

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

Country name

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

Territory of Papua and New Guinea

local short form

Papuaniugini

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Erin Elizabeth MCKEE (since 27 November 2019); note - also accredited to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

email address and website

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

embassy

P.O. Box 1492, Port Moresby

mailing address

4240 Port Moresby Place, Washington DC  20521-4240

telephone

[675] 308-2100

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

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

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge D’Affaires Cephas KAYO, Minister (since 31 January 2018)

email address and website

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

FAX

[1] (202) 745-3679

telephone

[1] (202) 745-3680

Executive branch

cabinet

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

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Grand Chief Sir Bob DADAE (since 28 February 2017)

election results

Peter Paire O'NEILL (PNC) reelected prime minister; National Parliament vote - 60 to 46

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); Deputy Prime Minister Charles ABEL (since 4 August 2017)

Flag description

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Independence

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

International law organization participation

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

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

highest courts

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

Legal system

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law

Legislative branch

description

unicameral National Parliament (111 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies - 89 local, 20 provinicial, the autonomous province of Bouganville, and the National Capital District - by majority preferential vote; members serve 5-year terms); note - the constitution allows up to 126 seats

election results

percent of vote by party - PNC 37%; NA 13%; Pangu 14%; URP 11%; PPP 4%; SDP 4%; Independents 3%; and smaller parties 14%; seats by party - NA; composition - men 108, women 3, percent of women 3%

elections

last held from 24 June 2017 to 8 July 2017 (next to be held in June 2022)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Thomas SHACKLADY

name

O Arise All You Sons

note

note: adopted 1975

National holiday

Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

National symbol(s)

bird of paradise; national colors: red, black

Political parties and leaders

National Alliance Party or NAP [Patrick PRUAITCH]Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU [Sam BASIL]Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP [Belden NAMAH]People's National Congress Party or PNC [Peter Paire O'NEILL]People's Party or PP [Peter IPATAS]People's Progress Party or PPP [Sir Julius CHAN]Social Democratic Party or SDP [Powes PARKOP]Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party or THE [Don POLYE]United Resources Party or URP [William DUMA]

note

note: as of 8 July 2017, 45 political parties were registered

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

oil palm fruit, bananas, coconuts, fruit, sweet potatoes, game meat, yams, roots/tubers nes, vegetables, taro

Budget

expenditures

4.591 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

3.638 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-4.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Moody's rating

B2 (2016)

Standard & Poors rating

B- (2020)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2016

$4.569 billion (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

$4.859 billion (2017 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 31 December 2016

$18.28 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt - external 31 December 2017

$17.94 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Economic overview

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain, land tenure issues, and the high cost of developing infrastructure. The economy has a small formal sector, focused mainly on the export of those natural resources, and an informal sector, employing the majority of the population. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the people. The global financial crisis had little impact because of continued foreign demand for PNG's commodities.Mineral deposits, including copper, gold, and oil, account for nearly two-thirds of export earnings. Natural gas reserves amount to an estimated 155 billion cubic meters. Following construction of a $19 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, PNG LNG, a consortium led by ExxonMobil, began exporting liquefied natural gas to Asian markets in May 2014. The project was delivered on time and only slightly above budget. The success of the project has encouraged other companies to look at similar LNG projects. French supermajor Total is hopes to begin construction on the Papua LNG project by 2020. Due to lower global commodity prices, resource revenues of all types have fallen dramatically. PNG’s government has recently been forced to adjust spending levels downward.Numerous challenges still face the government of Peter O'NEILL, including providing physical security for foreign investors, regaining investor confidence, restoring integrity to state institutions, promoting economic efficiency by privatizing moribund state institutions, and maintaining good relations with Australia, its former colonial ruler. Other socio-cultural challenges could upend the economy including chronic law and order and land tenure issues. In August, 2017, PNG launched its first-ever national trade policy, PNG Trade Policy 2017-2032. The policy goal is to maximize trade and investment by increasing exports, to reduce imports, and to increase foreign direct investment (FDI).

Exchange rates

currency

kina (PGK) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

2.4614 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

2.7684 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2018

3.36915 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

3.4042 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

3.5131 (2020 est.)

Exports

Exports 2016

$9.224 billion (2016 est.)

Exports 2018

$10.6 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Exports - commodities

natural gas, gold, copper, lumber, crude petroleum, nickel, palm oil, fish, coffee (2019)

Exports - partners

Australia 26%, China 26%, Japan 22%, Taiwan 7% (2019)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

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.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

22.1% (2017 est.)

industry

42.9% (2017 est.)

services

35% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$19.82 billion (2017 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 1996

50.9 (1996)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

40.5% (1996)

lowest 10%

1.7%

Imports

Imports 2016

$2.077 billion (2016 est.)

Imports 2018

$4.84 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, excavation machinery, crude petroleum, foodstuffs, delivery trucks (2019)

Imports - partners

Australia 33%, China 19%, Singapore 14%, Malaysia 9% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

3.3% (2017 est.)

Industries

copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining (gold, silver, copper); crude oil and petroleum products; construction, tourism, livestock (pork, poultry, cattle), dairy products, spice products (turmeric, vanilla, ginger, cardamom, chili, pepper, citronella, and nutmeg), fisheries products

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016

6.7% (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

5.4% (2017 est.)

Labor force

3.681 million (2017 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

85%

industry

NA

services

NA

Population below poverty line

37% (2002 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

36.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

36.9% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$36.06 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$38.17 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$36.69 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2015

5.3% (2015 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2016

1.6% (2016 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2017

2.5% (2017 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2018

$4,200 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$4,300 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$4,100 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016

$1.656 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$1.735 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

18.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2016

2.5% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate 2017

2.5% (2017 est.)

Crude oil - exports

55,600 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - imports

22,220 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - production

45,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

183.8 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity - consumption

3.237 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2017 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

63% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

30% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

7% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

900,900 kW (2016 est.)

Electricity - production

3.481 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - rural areas

55.4% (2018)

electrification - total population

58.9% (2018)

electrification - urban areas

82% (2018)

Natural gas - consumption

99.11 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - exports

11.1 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - production

11.18 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

210.5 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

37,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

17,110 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

22,170 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

less than 1 (2019 est.)

total

18,000 (2017 est.)

Broadcast media

4 TV stations: 1 commercial station operating since 1987, 1 state-run station launched in 2008, 1 digital free-to-view network launched in 2014, and 1 satellite network Click TV (PNGTV) launched in 2015; the state-run National Broadcasting Corporation 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 (2018)

Internet country code

.pg

Internet users

percent of population

11.21% (2019 est.)

total

1.37 million (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

access to telephone services is not widely available; fixed-line 2 per 100 and mobile-cellular 48 per 100 person, teledensity has increased (2019)

general assessment

telecom services stymied by rugged terrain, high cost of infrastructure, and poverty of citizens; services are minimal with little change in fixed-line tele-density in two decades; progress in mobile platforms with almost 90% coverage on 3G and LTE; GSM available in remote areas; Internet slow and expensive, available to pockets of the population; facilities provide radiotelephone, telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services; launch of satellite and landing of submarine cable will improve most services in the region; government supports training to boost digital transformation; Australia attempted to block Chinese investment in cooperative network; importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2020)

international

country code - 675; landing points for the Kumul Domestic Submarine Cable System, PNG-LNG, APNG-2, CSCS and the PPC-1 submarine cables to Australia, Guam, PNG and Solomon Islands; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

1.87 (2018 est.)

total subscriptions

158,000 (2018)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

47.62 (2019 est.)

total subscriptions

4.018 million (2018)

Airports

total

561 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

12

2,438 to 3,047 m

2

914 to 1,523 m

5

over 3,047 m

1

total

21

under 914 m

1 (2017)

Airports - with unpaved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

11

914 to 1,523 m

53

total

540

under 914 m

476 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

P2

Heliports

2 (2013)

Merchant marine

by type

container ship 6, general cargo 81, oil tanker 3, other 87 (2021)

total

177

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

30.93 million mt-km (2018)

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)

Pipelines

264 km oil (2013)

Ports and terminals

LNG terminal(s) (export)

Port Moresby

major seaport(s)

Kimbe, Lae, Madang, Rabaul, Wewak

Roadways

paved

3,000 km (2011)

total

9,349 km (2011)

unpaved

6,349 km (2011)

Waterways

11,000 km (2011)

Military - note

as of 2021, Australia and the US were assisting Papua New Guinea with expanding and improving the Defense Force naval base at Lombrum on Manus Island; the US first established a Lombrum base in 1944 during World War II

Military and security forces

Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF; includes land, maritime, and air elements); Ministry of Police: Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary   (2021)

Military and security service personnel strengths

the Papau New Guinea Defense Force has approximately 3,000 active duty troops, including a land element of about 2,500 (2021)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the PNGDF has a limited inventory consisting of a diverse mix of foreign-supplied weapons and equipment; Papau New Guinea receives most of its military assistance from Australia; since 2010, it has also received equipment from China and New Zealand (2021)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2016

0.4% of GDP (2016)

Military Expenditures 2017

0.3% of GDP (2017)

Military Expenditures 2018

0.4% of GDP (2018)

Military Expenditures 2019

0.4% of GDP (2019)

Military Expenditures 2020

0.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military service age and obligation

16 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription; graduation from grade 12 required (2019)

Disputes - international

relies on assistance from Australia to keep out illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and secessionists

Illicit drugs

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

14,000 (natural disasters, tribal conflict, inter-communal violence, development projects) (2020)

refugees (country of origin)

10,501 (Indonesia) (2020)

stateless persons

9 (2020)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Papua New Guinea is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; women and children are subjected to sex trafficking and domestic servitude; families may sell girls into forced marriages to settle debts, leaving them vulnerable to forced domestic service; local and Chinese men are forced to labor in logging and mining camps; migrant women from Malaysia, Thailand, China, and the Philippines are subjected to sex trafficking and domestic servitude at logging and mining camps, fisheries, and entertainment sites

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; despite remaining at Tier 3, the government continued to identify some trafficking victims and a prominent trafficking case was advanced; however, the government did not provide protective services for victims and did not systematically implement its victim identification procedures; corruption among officials in the logging sector remains a problem, and they continue to facilitate sex trafficking and forced labor; no alleged traffickers were convicted; the government dedicates little financial and human resources to combat trafficking, and awareness of trafficking is low among government officials (2020)

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

7.54 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

11.05 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

10.91 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

Climate

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

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

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

Land use

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.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases

dengue fever and malaria

Major rivers (by length in km)

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

Revenue from coal

coal revenues

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues

2.08% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

801 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

167.6 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

223.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

13.5% of total population (2021)

Waste and recycling

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.)