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Country or area · Melanesia · Oceania · UN WPP 2024
Papua New Guinea population
Papua New Guinea population now
10,993,042
A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 10.8–11.3 million.
Mid-2023, UN estimate: 10,389,635
- Year
- 2026
- projection · medium
- Population, mid-2026
- 10.9478 million
- 95% range, 31 Dec: 10.8–11.3 million
- Median age
- 24.0
- Aged 65+
- 3.7%
male female projection · one cell = 2,000 people
How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.
PNG · 1950–2100 · in brief
Papua New Guinea in numbers
The UN counts 10,389,635 people in Papua New Guinea in mid-2023, which makes it the 93rd-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports, and 0.13% of the world's people. That is 6.7 times its 1950 population of 1.5 million.
In the UN's medium projection it is still growing in 2100, when it reaches 18.6 million. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 7.2 million to 47.9 million.
Births outnumber deaths in every year from 1950 to 2100, estimates and projection alike.
The median age was 18.3 in 1950 and 23.3 in 2023; the projection has 38.2 in 2100. 3.3% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 15.6% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2097 at 12.2 million.
Its place in the world by population: 93rd in 2023, 85th in 2050, 82nd in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Portugal in 2024, Czechia in 2025 and Sweden in 2025. It is overtaken by Togo in 2044, Israel in 2087 and the Republic of the Congo in 2090.
- Population, mid-2023
- 10,389,635
- Rank by population, 2023
- 93 of 236
- Share of the world, 2023
- 0.13%
- Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023
- +1.83% · +186,465 people
- People per km² of land, 2023
- 23
- Land area, 2023
- 452,860 km²
- Births, 2023
- 255,331
- Deaths, 2023
- 67,700
- Net migration, 2023
- −787
- Children per woman, 2023
- 3.10
- Median age, 2023
- 23.3 years
- Life expectancy at birth, 2023
- 66.1 years
- In a city, 2025
- 12 of every 100
- Population, mid-1950
- 1,543,429
- Projected, mid-2050
- 14,906,590
- Projected, mid-2100
- 18,640,542
PNG · 1950–2100 · total population
Population, 1950–2100
estimate projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range 95% range medium projection. Each column is the population on 1 January of one year; the paper rules cut it into equal cells.
Show the numbers: Papua New Guinea, 1950–2100
| Year | Kind | Population, 1 Jan | 95% range | Births | Deaths | Children per woman | Life expectancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | estimate | 1,526,961 | 70,878 | 33,095 | 5.71 | 39.4 | |
| 1951 | estimate | 1,559,897 | 73,302 | 39,397 | 5.74 | 35.5 | |
| 1952 | estimate | 1,589,947 | 75,413 | 33,333 | 5.76 | 40.7 | |
| 1953 | estimate | 1,629,128 | 77,760 | 33,507 | 5.79 | 41.3 | |
| 1954 | estimate | 1,671,329 | 79,275 | 33,628 | 5.78 | 42.0 | |
| 1955 | estimate | 1,715,680 | 81,357 | 33,677 | 5.82 | 42.6 | |
| 1956 | estimate | 1,762,758 | 83,090 | 33,736 | 5.84 | 43.3 | |
| 1957 | estimate | 1,812,121 | 84,983 | 33,763 | 5.89 | 43.9 | |
| 1958 | estimate | 1,862,884 | 86,703 | 33,762 | 5.93 | 44.6 | |
| 1959 | estimate | 1,915,044 | 88,147 | 33,787 | 5.96 | 45.1 | |
| 1960 | estimate | 1,967,964 | 90,039 | 33,713 | 6.02 | 45.8 | |
| 1961 | estimate | 2,022,255 | 91,837 | 33,686 | 6.07 | 46.4 | |
| 1962 | estimate | 2,069,998 | 94,032 | 34,058 | 6.13 | 46.7 | |
| 1963 | estimate | 2,117,839 | 95,664 | 33,403 | 6.15 | 47.7 | |
| 1964 | estimate | 2,164,913 | 97,772 | 33,214 | 6.19 | 48.3 | |
| 1965 | estimate | 2,211,738 | 99,658 | 32,964 | 6.20 | 48.9 | |
| 1966 | estimate | 2,259,902 | 101,912 | 32,706 | 6.23 | 49.6 | |
| 1967 | estimate | 2,311,646 | 103,904 | 32,385 | 6.24 | 50.3 | |
| 1968 | estimate | 2,363,417 | 106,077 | 32,093 | 6.25 | 50.9 | |
| 1969 | estimate | 2,418,190 | 108,257 | 31,802 | 6.26 | 51.5 | |
| 1970 | estimate | 2,475,663 | 110,231 | 31,519 | 6.25 | 52.1 | |
| 1971 | estimate | 2,535,592 | 112,038 | 31,438 | 6.23 | 52.6 | |
| 1972 | estimate | 2,597,251 | 113,724 | 31,053 | 6.20 | 53.3 | |
| 1973 | estimate | 2,659,614 | 114,487 | 30,666 | 6.16 | 53.9 | |
| 1974 | estimate | 2,721,644 | 115,114 | 30,284 | 6.11 | 54.4 | |
| 1975 | estimate | 2,783,697 | 115,784 | 29,976 | 6.07 | 55.0 | |
| 1976 | estimate | 2,845,944 | 116,660 | 29,697 | 6.02 | 55.5 | |
| 1977 | estimate | 2,908,711 | 117,426 | 29,471 | 5.96 | 56.0 | |
| 1978 | estimate | 2,971,943 | 118,071 | 29,322 | 5.88 | 56.5 | |
| 1979 | estimate | 3,035,485 | 118,552 | 29,222 | 5.79 | 57.0 | |
| 1980 | estimate | 3,099,198 | 119,454 | 29,188 | 5.71 | 57.4 | |
| 1981 | estimate | 3,163,826 | 121,065 | 29,299 | 5.64 | 57.8 | |
| 1982 | estimate | 3,230,211 | 123,065 | 29,543 | 5.59 | 58.1 | |
| 1983 | estimate | 3,298,372 | 125,964 | 29,983 | 5.56 | 58.3 | |
| 1984 | estimate | 3,368,894 | 128,393 | 30,289 | 5.51 | 58.6 | |
| 1985 | estimate | 3,441,501 | 131,041 | 30,710 | 5.47 | 58.8 | |
| 1986 | estimate | 3,516,370 | 133,480 | 31,134 | 5.42 | 59.0 | |
| 1987 | estimate | 3,593,216 | 135,915 | 31,549 | 5.36 | 59.2 | |
| 1988 | estimate | 3,671,869 | 138,329 | 32,074 | 5.30 | 59.4 | |
| 1989 | estimate | 3,751,891 | 140,665 | 32,463 | 5.24 | 59.6 | |
| 1990 | estimate | 3,840,265 | 142,993 | 32,961 | 5.18 | 59.8 | |
| 1991 | estimate | 3,952,696 | 145,117 | 33,663 | 5.11 | 59.9 | |
| 1992 | estimate | 4,090,978 | 149,107 | 34,286 | 5.03 | 60.3 | |
| 1993 | estimate | 4,242,421 | 153,926 | 35,257 | 4.96 | 60.5 | |
| 1994 | estimate | 4,399,322 | 158,228 | 36,113 | 4.87 | 60.7 | |
| 1995 | estimate | 4,561,095 | 162,491 | 37,081 | 4.78 | 60.9 | |
| 1996 | estimate | 4,727,461 | 168,046 | 38,243 | 4.73 | 61.1 | |
| 1997 | estimate | 4,899,262 | 173,775 | 39,316 | 4.68 | 61.3 | |
| 1998 | estimate | 5,076,505 | 179,540 | 42,863 | 4.63 | 60.4 | |
| 1999 | estimate | 5,256,274 | 185,416 | 41,823 | 4.59 | 61.5 | |
| 2000 | estimate | 5,442,391 | 190,600 | 43,107 | 4.53 | 61.6 | |
| 2001 | estimate | 5,631,736 | 195,992 | 44,564 | 4.47 | 61.6 | |
| 2002 | estimate | 5,825,135 | 201,313 | 46,224 | 4.42 | 61.6 | |
| 2003 | estimate | 6,022,872 | 206,224 | 47,615 | 4.36 | 61.7 | |
| 2004 | estimate | 6,225,122 | 210,128 | 49,105 | 4.28 | 61.8 | |
| 2005 | estimate | 6,430,960 | 214,461 | 50,577 | 4.22 | 61.9 | |
| 2006 | estimate | 6,640,850 | 218,370 | 51,830 | 4.15 | 62.0 | |
| 2007 | estimate | 6,854,590 | 222,279 | 52,971 | 4.08 | 62.2 | |
| 2008 | estimate | 7,072,099 | 226,613 | 53,796 | 4.01 | 62.5 | |
| 2009 | estimate | 7,293,904 | 230,148 | 54,723 | 3.94 | 62.8 | |
| 2010 | estimate | 7,518,972 | 234,608 | 55,608 | 3.88 | 63.1 | |
| 2011 | estimate | 7,748,074 | 238,169 | 56,326 | 3.82 | 63.4 | |
| 2012 | estimate | 7,970,618 | 240,841 | 57,184 | 3.75 | 63.6 | |
| 2013 | estimate | 8,192,162 | 243,715 | 57,929 | 3.68 | 63.9 | |
| 2014 | estimate | 8,413,233 | 246,323 | 58,727 | 3.63 | 64.2 | |
| 2015 | estimate | 8,633,649 | 248,091 | 59,487 | 3.56 | 64.5 | |
| 2016 | estimate | 8,852,843 | 249,721 | 60,439 | 3.50 | 64.7 | |
| 2017 | estimate | 9,070,592 | 251,143 | 61,421 | 3.43 | 64.9 | |
| 2018 | estimate | 9,286,836 | 253,242 | 62,576 | 3.38 | 65.1 | |
| 2019 | estimate | 9,502,191 | 254,314 | 63,649 | 3.32 | 65.3 | |
| 2020 | estimate | 9,715,829 | 256,111 | 66,981 | 3.27 | 65.1 | |
| 2021 | estimate | 9,915,662 | 256,149 | 72,384 | 3.21 | 64.4 | |
| 2022 | estimate | 10,110,130 | 256,716 | 69,848 | 3.17 | 65.3 | |
| 2023 | estimate | 10,296,209 | 255,331 | 67,700 | 3.10 | 66.1 | |
| 2024 | estimate | 10,483,061 | 256,911 | 69,320 | 3.07 | 66.3 | |
| 2025 | projection | 10,669,942 | 10.6–10.8 million | 256,974 | 70,935 | 3.03 | 66.4 |
| 2026 | projection | 10,855,692 | 10.7–11.0 million | 257,492 | 72,657 | 2.99 | 66.5 |
| 2027 | projection | 11,040,004 | 10.8–11.3 million | 257,989 | 74,369 | 2.95 | 66.6 |
| 2028 | projection | 11,222,541 | 10.9–11.6 million | 258,648 | 76,204 | 2.92 | 66.8 |
| 2029 | projection | 11,403,247 | 11.0–11.9 million | 258,870 | 78,037 | 2.88 | 66.9 |
| 2030 | projection | 11,582,360 | 11.0–12.2 million | 259,323 | 80,015 | 2.84 | 67.0 |
| 2031 | projection | 11,760,489 | 11.1–12.5 million | 259,772 | 81,973 | 2.81 | 67.1 |
| 2032 | projection | 11,935,954 | 11.2–12.8 million | 260,820 | 83,962 | 2.78 | 67.3 |
| 2033 | projection | 12,110,301 | 11.2–13.1 million | 261,747 | 86,031 | 2.75 | 67.4 |
| 2034 | projection | 12,282,992 | 11.3–13.4 million | 262,514 | 88,178 | 2.73 | 67.5 |
| 2035 | projection | 12,455,521 | 11.4–13.7 million | 263,138 | 90,363 | 2.69 | 67.6 |
| 2036 | projection | 12,625,684 | 11.4–14.0 million | 263,823 | 92,573 | 2.67 | 67.7 |
| 2037 | projection | 12,795,681 | 11.5–14.4 million | 264,263 | 94,810 | 2.64 | 67.8 |
| 2038 | projection | 12,963,799 | 11.5–14.7 million | 265,139 | 97,170 | 2.61 | 68.0 |
| 2039 | projection | 13,130,448 | 11.6–15.1 million | 265,910 | 99,493 | 2.59 | 68.1 |
| 2040 | projection | 13,294,892 | 11.6–15.4 million | 266,669 | 101,905 | 2.56 | 68.2 |
| 2041 | projection | 13,457,429 | 11.6–15.8 million | 267,243 | 104,252 | 2.54 | 68.3 |
| 2042 | projection | 13,617,312 | 11.6–16.2 million | 267,307 | 106,754 | 2.51 | 68.4 |
| 2043 | projection | 13,774,982 | 11.7–16.5 million | 268,035 | 109,265 | 2.50 | 68.5 |
| 2044 | projection | 13,931,855 | 11.7–16.9 million | 268,709 | 111,678 | 2.48 | 68.6 |
| 2045 | projection | 14,088,012 | 11.7–17.2 million | 269,312 | 114,154 | 2.46 | 68.7 |
| 2046 | projection | 14,243,164 | 11.7–17.6 million | 269,520 | 116,736 | 2.44 | 68.8 |
| 2047 | projection | 14,394,620 | 11.7–18.0 million | 269,444 | 119,079 | 2.42 | 68.9 |
| 2048 | projection | 14,543,823 | 11.7–18.4 million | 269,372 | 121,581 | 2.40 | 69.0 |
| 2049 | projection | 14,690,918 | 11.7–18.8 million | 269,220 | 124,141 | 2.38 | 69.1 |
| 2050 | projection | 14,836,287 | 11.7–19.2 million | 269,079 | 126,694 | 2.37 | 69.2 |
| 2051 | projection | 14,976,893 | 11.7–19.7 million | 268,887 | 129,213 | 2.35 | 69.3 |
| 2052 | projection | 15,115,979 | 11.7–20.1 million | 268,661 | 131,692 | 2.33 | 69.4 |
| 2053 | projection | 15,253,284 | 11.6–20.5 million | 268,094 | 134,189 | 2.32 | 69.5 |
| 2054 | projection | 15,386,000 | 11.5–20.9 million | 267,571 | 136,710 | 2.30 | 69.6 |
| 2055 | projection | 15,518,220 | 11.5–21.4 million | 267,079 | 139,235 | 2.28 | 69.7 |
| 2056 | projection | 15,645,067 | 11.4–21.9 million | 266,612 | 141,652 | 2.27 | 69.8 |
| 2057 | projection | 15,769,091 | 11.4–22.4 million | 266,064 | 144,119 | 2.26 | 70.0 |
| 2058 | projection | 15,891,039 | 11.4–22.9 million | 265,407 | 146,534 | 2.24 | 70.1 |
| 2059 | projection | 16,009,910 | 11.3–23.4 million | 264,812 | 149,012 | 2.23 | 70.2 |
| 2060 | projection | 16,126,789 | 11.2–23.9 million | 263,937 | 151,435 | 2.21 | 70.3 |
| 2061 | projection | 16,242,131 | 11.2–24.4 million | 263,352 | 153,935 | 2.20 | 70.4 |
| 2062 | projection | 16,351,543 | 11.1–25.0 million | 262,767 | 156,362 | 2.19 | 70.5 |
| 2063 | projection | 16,457,601 | 10.9–25.6 million | 262,096 | 158,712 | 2.17 | 70.6 |
| 2064 | projection | 16,561,052 | 10.9–26.1 million | 261,846 | 160,960 | 2.16 | 70.7 |
| 2065 | projection | 16,664,408 | 10.9–26.8 million | 261,240 | 163,314 | 2.15 | 70.8 |
| 2066 | projection | 16,765,992 | 10.7–27.4 million | 260,813 | 165,602 | 2.14 | 70.9 |
| 2067 | projection | 16,864,766 | 10.6–27.9 million | 260,107 | 167,823 | 2.13 | 71.0 |
| 2068 | projection | 16,960,972 | 10.5–28.5 million | 259,524 | 170,004 | 2.12 | 71.1 |
| 2069 | projection | 17,053,497 | 10.3–29.1 million | 259,123 | 172,180 | 2.11 | 71.2 |
| 2070 | projection | 17,142,307 | 10.3–29.7 million | 258,434 | 174,297 | 2.10 | 71.3 |
| 2071 | projection | 17,228,036 | 10.2–30.4 million | 257,697 | 176,286 | 2.08 | 71.5 |
| 2072 | projection | 17,312,336 | 10.1–30.9 million | 257,114 | 178,429 | 2.08 | 71.5 |
| 2073 | projection | 17,393,095 | 10.0–31.5 million | 255,946 | 180,520 | 2.06 | 71.7 |
| 2074 | projection | 17,469,331 | 10.0–32.1 million | 255,318 | 182,475 | 2.05 | 71.8 |
| 2075 | projection | 17,543,058 | 9.8–32.8 million | 254,346 | 184,120 | 2.04 | 71.9 |
| 2076 | projection | 17,614,782 | 9.7–33.4 million | 253,936 | 185,983 | 2.04 | 72.0 |
| 2077 | projection | 17,683,162 | 9.7–33.8 million | 253,453 | 187,892 | 2.03 | 72.1 |
| 2078 | projection | 17,750,451 | 9.6–34.3 million | 252,835 | 189,624 | 2.02 | 72.2 |
| 2079 | projection | 17,816,967 | 9.5–35.0 million | 252,039 | 191,363 | 2.02 | 72.3 |
| 2080 | projection | 17,879,638 | 9.4–35.7 million | 250,943 | 193,003 | 2.01 | 72.4 |
| 2081 | projection | 17,944,338 | 9.2–36.2 million | 250,200 | 194,717 | 2.00 | 72.5 |
| 2082 | projection | 18,002,710 | 9.1–36.8 million | 249,512 | 196,326 | 2.00 | 72.6 |
| 2083 | projection | 18,057,751 | 9.0–37.5 million | 248,590 | 197,984 | 1.99 | 72.8 |
| 2084 | projection | 18,112,944 | 8.9–38.3 million | 247,823 | 199,486 | 1.98 | 72.9 |
| 2085 | projection | 18,163,739 | 8.8–39.0 million | 246,907 | 200,958 | 1.98 | 73.0 |
| 2086 | projection | 18,213,695 | 8.7–39.6 million | 246,191 | 202,398 | 1.97 | 73.1 |
| 2087 | projection | 18,261,603 | 8.6–40.3 million | 245,222 | 203,682 | 1.97 | 73.2 |
| 2088 | projection | 18,305,660 | 8.5–40.9 million | 244,166 | 204,907 | 1.96 | 73.3 |
| 2089 | projection | 18,346,928 | 8.4–41.8 million | 242,728 | 206,199 | 1.95 | 73.5 |
| 2090 | projection | 18,385,621 | 8.3–42.4 million | 241,437 | 207,406 | 1.94 | 73.6 |
| 2091 | projection | 18,425,763 | 8.2–42.9 million | 240,175 | 208,802 | 1.94 | 73.7 |
| 2092 | projection | 18,461,218 | 8.1–43.3 million | 239,238 | 210,009 | 1.93 | 73.8 |
| 2093 | projection | 18,493,392 | 8.1–44.2 million | 238,122 | 211,269 | 1.92 | 73.9 |
| 2094 | projection | 18,522,160 | 7.9–44.7 million | 236,975 | 212,647 | 1.92 | 74.0 |
| 2095 | projection | 18,548,884 | 7.9–45.4 million | 235,903 | 213,724 | 1.91 | 74.2 |
| 2096 | projection | 18,572,164 | 7.7–45.9 million | 234,875 | 214,778 | 1.91 | 74.3 |
| 2097 | projection | 18,593,167 | 7.6–46.4 million | 233,371 | 216,113 | 1.90 | 74.4 |
| 2098 | projection | 18,610,381 | 7.5–46.8 million | 232,135 | 217,167 | 1.90 | 74.5 |
| 2099 | projection | 18,624,035 | 7.3–47.4 million | 230,779 | 218,193 | 1.89 | 74.6 |
| 2100 | projection | 18,636,026 | 7.2–47.9 million | 229,406 | 218,963 | 1.88 | 74.8 |
Show the numbers: Papua New Guinea, mid-2026, by single year of age
| Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 129,477 | 120,958 |
| 1 | 128,486 | 120,074 |
| 2 | 127,713 | 119,352 |
| 3 | 127,324 | 118,927 |
| 4 | 127,222 | 118,927 |
| 5 | 126,614 | 118,448 |
| 6 | 125,708 | 117,502 |
| 7 | 124,581 | 116,365 |
| 8 | 123,374 | 115,077 |
| 9 | 122,316 | 113,850 |
| 10 | 121,478 | 112,794 |
| 11 | 120,620 | 111,688 |
| 12 | 119,588 | 110,409 |
| 13 | 118,344 | 108,940 |
| 14 | 117,144 | 107,512 |
| 15 | 115,854 | 106,013 |
| 16 | 114,072 | 104,063 |
| 17 | 112,342 | 102,173 |
| 18 | 110,863 | 100,562 |
| 19 | 109,392 | 99,011 |
| 20 | 108,058 | 97,672 |
| 21 | 106,620 | 96,354 |
| 22 | 105,167 | 95,122 |
| 23 | 103,548 | 93,821 |
| 24 | 101,560 | 92,256 |
| 25 | 99,470 | 90,679 |
| 26 | 97,686 | 89,400 |
| 27 | 95,918 | 88,123 |
| 28 | 93,974 | 86,688 |
| 29 | 92,154 | 85,378 |
| 30 | 90,338 | 84,113 |
| 31 | 88,706 | 83,056 |
| 32 | 87,142 | 82,098 |
| 33 | 85,221 | 80,836 |
| 34 | 83,092 | 79,424 |
| 35 | 81,266 | 78,367 |
| 36 | 79,794 | 77,787 |
| 37 | 77,804 | 76,779 |
| 38 | 75,024 | 74,932 |
| 39 | 72,242 | 72,934 |
| 40 | 69,730 | 71,002 |
| 41 | 67,268 | 68,972 |
| 42 | 64,871 | 66,884 |
| 43 | 62,516 | 64,715 |
| 44 | 60,370 | 62,614 |
| 45 | 58,580 | 60,724 |
| 46 | 56,853 | 58,896 |
| 47 | 55,111 | 57,075 |
| 48 | 53,409 | 55,234 |
| 49 | 51,691 | 53,340 |
| 50 | 49,918 | 51,360 |
| 51 | 48,140 | 49,360 |
| 52 | 46,374 | 47,372 |
| 53 | 44,561 | 45,334 |
| 54 | 42,595 | 43,150 |
| 55 | 40,678 | 40,966 |
| 56 | 38,974 | 38,937 |
| 57 | 37,352 | 36,974 |
| 58 | 35,812 | 35,067 |
| 59 | 34,337 | 33,207 |
| 60 | 32,808 | 31,319 |
| 61 | 31,210 | 29,421 |
| 62 | 29,510 | 27,494 |
| 63 | 27,731 | 25,584 |
| 64 | 25,864 | 23,685 |
| 65 | 23,912 | 21,786 |
| 66 | 21,978 | 19,994 |
| 67 | 20,084 | 18,316 |
| 68 | 18,186 | 16,670 |
| 69 | 16,292 | 15,042 |
| 70 | 14,532 | 13,576 |
| 71 | 12,918 | 12,266 |
| 72 | 11,481 | 11,131 |
| 73 | 10,180 | 10,106 |
| 74 | 8,945 | 9,094 |
| 75 | 7,820 | 8,149 |
| 76 | 6,764 | 7,164 |
| 77 | 5,943 | 6,073 |
| 78 | 5,186 | 5,167 |
| 79 | 4,401 | 4,541 |
| 80 | 3,723 | 3,977 |
| 81 | 3,091 | 3,407 |
| 82 | 2,528 | 2,868 |
| 83 | 2,047 | 2,384 |
| 84 | 1,642 | 1,958 |
| 85 | 1,304 | 1,587 |
| 86 | 1,024 | 1,266 |
| 87 | 791 | 993 |
| 88 | 600 | 764 |
| 89 | 446 | 576 |
| 90 | 324 | 424 |
| 91 | 231 | 306 |
| 92 | 162 | 217 |
| 93 | 112 | 152 |
| 94 | 78 | 104 |
| 95 | 52 | 70 |
| 96 | 36 | 46 |
| 97 | 24 | 30 |
| 98 | 16 | 19 |
| 99 | 10 | 12 |
| 100+ | 14 | 19 |
PNG · 1950–2100 · every age, every year
Papua New Guinea, every age in every year
Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.
PNG · ages 15–64
Who does the work in Papua New Guinea
On the UN's projection, Papua New Guinea will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2097: 12,210,100 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 6,529,620.
aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over
How to read this: one orange square for each of 100 people aged 15–64 in 2023. Beneath them, teal for the children living alongside those 100 and violet for the people aged 65 or older.
Fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 in 25 years: 2056–2080.
fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more
How to read this: 1950 on the left, 2100 on the right; coloured in the years with fewer than 50 dependants per 100 working-age people, grey in the rest, hatched where that is a projection.
PNG · arrivals minus departures
Who arrives in Papua New Guinea, and who leaves
In 2020–2025 Papua New Guinea gains 2,726 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 15–19, at 800 a year more arriving than leaving.
more arrive than leave more leave than arrive
How to read this: each column is one age, youngest on the left. Above the line, in blue, are the ages gaining people; below it, in orange, the ages losing them. This is the UN's projection for 2020–2025 — the record of migration by age does not go back beyond 2020.
In the years that were counted, 1950–2023, the most it gained in one year was 50,106 (2010) and the most it lost was 26,232 (1988).
In 2024, 31,171 people living in Papua New Guinea had been born in another country, fewer than 1 of every 100 people there, against fewer than 1 in 1990.
PNG · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100
Who has the babies in Papua New Guinea
Of every 100 babies born in Papua New Guinea in 2023, 11 had a mother under 20, 70 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 19 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 11 under 20 and 14 aged 35 or older.
11 · 75 · 14
11 · 70 · 19
8 · 73 · 19
The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected
How to read this: shrink a year's babies to 100 and colour each one by the age of its mother — that is a block. Under it, the same three groups as numbers, starting with the youngest mothers.
- Babies born, 2023
- 255,331
- Average age when women have a baby
- 29.3 years
- 29.5 in 1950
- Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19
- 54
- 87 in 1950
Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100
| Mother's age | 1950 | 1975 | 2000 | 2023 | 2050 projected | 2100 projected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | 292 | 708 | 2,512 | 855 | 193 | 37 |
| 15–19 | 7,503 | 11,318 | 21,446 | 26,499 | 23,035 | 9,970 |
| 20–24 | 20,448 | 28,608 | 47,407 | 65,807 | 67,669 | 42,033 |
| 25–29 | 19,289 | 28,752 | 47,705 | 63,925 | 71,093 | 64,666 |
| 30–34 | 13,582 | 23,133 | 35,365 | 49,839 | 56,808 | 62,734 |
| 35–39 | 7,279 | 15,126 | 22,629 | 32,128 | 37,754 | 40,293 |
| 40–44 | 2,178 | 6,808 | 10,827 | 13,300 | 10,982 | 8,898 |
| 45–49 | 298 | 1,274 | 2,575 | 2,844 | 1,489 | 757 |
| 50–54 | 9 | 57 | 134 | 134 | 56 | 18 |
| All babies | 70,878 | 115,784 | 190,600 | 255,331 | 269,079 | 229,406 |
The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.
PNG · healthy years · 2021
Years in good health in Papua New Guinea
In Papua New Guinea, WHO puts the healthy years a newborn could expect in 2021 at 57.5 (95% range 56.5–58.5), out of 65.5 in all. The years in less than full health come to 8.0, below the world's 9.5: shorter lives leave fewer years in which to be ill.
58.1 in full health, 8.8 not: 66.9 years
57.0 in full health, 7.2 not: 64.2 years
a year in full health a year in less than full health
How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.
Women: 58.1 healthy years of 66.9. Men: 57.0 of 64.2. In 2019, before the pandemic, the healthy years were 58.5.
PNG · forced from home · end of 2025
Displacement in Papua New Guinea
At the end of 2025, 70,124 people were displaced inside Papua New Guinea, about 7 of every 1,000 people living there.
- hosted from abroad10,848
- displaced inside it70,124
- Papua New Guinea nationals abroad1,871
stayed inside their own country crossed a border
How to read this: each square is 2,000 people, so the rows can be compared with one another. The last row is people from Papua New Guinea living in another country, wherever they are.
In 2025, 422 people from Papua New Guinea asked for asylum in another country. Of every 100 people from Papua New Guinea whose claims were decided that year, 49 were given protection. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it
PNG · of every 100 people
How people live in Papua New Guinea
Of every 100 people in Papua New Guinea in 2025, 12 lived in a city, 36 in a town or suburb and 52 in the countryside.
cities towns and suburbs rural areas
56.7 of every 100 have no electricity at home (2024). 81.2 of every 100 do not use the internet (2024).
How to read this: one square for every hundredth person, coloured as the key shows. Because the rule behind the colours is the same everywhere, two countries' squares can be compared directly.
PNG · adults 25 and over · 2020
How far people in Papua New Guinea went in school
Of every 100 adults in Papua New Guinea in 2020, 15 never went to school and 23 finished upper secondary or went further.
15 never went to school 19 some primary 29 finished primary 14 finished lower secondary 15 finished upper secondary 8 studied after school
Compare two generations. Aged 60–64, 38.8 of every 100 women and 14.4 of every 100 men never went to school; aged 25–29, 8.8 and 7.1.
The middle projection has its working-age people most numerous in 2070; those among them who finished upper secondary are most numerous later, in 2090.
How to read this: 100 squares, one for every hundredth adult aged 25 or over, from least schooling on the left to most on the right. Counted by the Wittgenstein Centre for 2020.
PNG · cities · 2025
Cities in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea had 11 cities in 2025, home to 1.3 million people. The largest, Port Moresby, holds 4 of every 100 people in Papua New Guinea.
- Port Moresby413,223
- Mendi132,879
- Lae121,552
- Mount Hagen107,186
- Goroka95,462
- Madang93,347
- Kundiawa86,187
- Tari65,292
- Ganigle59,261
- Hides 456,552
How to read this: one bar for each of the 10 largest cities, 2025, all on the same scale. "City" here means the built-up area the UN measures, not the boundary the city draws itself.
Apparatus
Sources and method
Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.
The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for Papua New Guinea are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.
Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →
Checked before it was drawn
Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.