Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) vs Papua New Guinea: Urban population growth
Urban population growth over time
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
- Papua New Guinea
How they compare
Papua New Guinea currently reports 4.1% against 2.1% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), a difference of 2.0%.
That makes Papua New Guinea's figure about 2.0 times Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)'s.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Papua New Guinea ahead.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 16th and Papua New Guinea ranks 18th of 47 groups.
Across the 7 decades both report, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) averaged higher in 2 and Papua New Guinea in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) | Papua New Guinea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.4% | 12.9% | 8.5% | Papua New Guinea |
| 1970s | 4.3% | 5.9% | 1.7% | Papua New Guinea |
| 1980s | 4.2% | 3.7% | 0.5% | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.0% | 1.2% | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 3.0% | 0.3% | Papua New Guinea |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 3.3% | 0.8% | Papua New Guinea |
| 2020s | 2.2% | 4.0% | 1.8% | Papua New Guinea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population growth, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) or Papua New Guinea?
- Papua New Guinea, at 4.1% against 2.1% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population growth between Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) and Papua New Guinea?
- 2.0%, with Papua New Guinea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) and Papua New Guinea?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2025.
- How do Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) and Papua New Guinea rank globally for urban population growth?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 16th and Papua New Guinea ranks 18th of 47 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.