Annual precipitation in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Annual precipitation was 4,152 millimeters in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4,152 millimeters
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
1st
of 192 countries
All-time high
4,745 millimeters
in 1943
All-time low
2,788 millimeters
in 1997
Years of data
86
1940–2025
Annual precipitation in Papua New Guinea, 1940–2025
Source: Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in millimeters.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual precipitation in Papua New Guinea is 4,152 millimeters, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 4.1% on the previous year and up 17.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual precipitation in Papua New Guinea peaked at 4,745 millimeters in 1943 and was at its lowest, 2,788 millimeters, in 1997.
Papua New Guinea ranks 1st of 192 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 86 years of available data.
Annual precipitation in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | millimeters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 3,042 millimeters | — |
| 1941 | 3,306 millimeters | +8.7% |
| 1942 | 4,119 millimeters | +24.6% |
| 1943 | 4,745 millimeters | +15.2% |
| 1944 | 4,013 millimeters | -15.4% |
| 1945 | 3,710 millimeters | -7.6% |
| 1946 | 3,876 millimeters | +4.5% |
| 1947 | 3,720 millimeters | -4.0% |
| 1948 | 3,807 millimeters | +2.3% |
| 1949 | 4,006 millimeters | +5.2% |
| 1950 | 4,012 millimeters | +0.1% |
| 1951 | 3,649 millimeters | -9.0% |
| 1952 | 3,935 millimeters | +7.8% |
| 1953 | 3,771 millimeters | -4.2% |
| 1954 | 3,677 millimeters | -2.5% |
| 1955 | 3,343 millimeters | -9.1% |
| 1956 | 3,620 millimeters | +8.3% |
| 1957 | 3,663 millimeters | +1.2% |
| 1958 | 3,653 millimeters | -0.3% |
| 1959 | 3,546 millimeters | -2.9% |
| 1960 | 3,716 millimeters | +4.8% |
| 1961 | 3,679 millimeters | -1.0% |
| 1962 | 3,753 millimeters | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 3,172 millimeters | -15.5% |
| 1964 | 3,428 millimeters | +8.1% |
| 1965 | 3,377 millimeters | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 3,857 millimeters | +14.2% |
| 1967 | 4,152 millimeters | +7.7% |
| 1968 | 3,617 millimeters | -12.9% |
| 1969 | 4,002 millimeters | +10.6% |
| 1970 | 4,003 millimeters | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3,832 millimeters | -4.3% |
| 1972 | 3,238 millimeters | -15.5% |
| 1973 | 3,808 millimeters | +17.6% |
| 1974 | 3,404 millimeters | -10.6% |
| 1975 | 4,051 millimeters | +19.0% |
| 1976 | 3,639 millimeters | -10.2% |
| 1977 | 4,089 millimeters | +12.4% |
| 1978 | 3,908 millimeters | -4.4% |
| 1979 | 3,590 millimeters | -8.1% |
| 1980 | 3,647 millimeters | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 3,808 millimeters | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 3,131 millimeters | -17.8% |
| 1983 | 3,803 millimeters | +21.5% |
| 1984 | 3,737 millimeters | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 3,950 millimeters | +5.7% |
| 1986 | 3,506 millimeters | -11.2% |
| 1987 | 3,442 millimeters | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 3,821 millimeters | +11.0% |
| 1989 | 3,788 millimeters | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 3,860 millimeters | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 3,583 millimeters | -7.2% |
| 1992 | 3,496 millimeters | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 3,390 millimeters | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 3,625 millimeters | +6.9% |
| 1995 | 4,127 millimeters | +13.8% |
| 1996 | 3,816 millimeters | -7.5% |
| 1997 | 2,788 millimeters | -26.9% |
| 1998 | 4,029 millimeters | +44.5% |
| 1999 | 3,690 millimeters | -8.4% |
| 2000 | 3,869 millimeters | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 3,837 millimeters | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 3,336 millimeters | -13.0% |
| 2003 | 3,804 millimeters | +14.0% |
| 2004 | 3,532 millimeters | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 3,996 millimeters | +13.1% |
| 2006 | 4,042 millimeters | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 4,079 millimeters | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 4,027 millimeters | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 4,029 millimeters | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 4,003 millimeters | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 4,297 millimeters | +7.3% |
| 2012 | 4,342 millimeters | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 4,506 millimeters | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 4,339 millimeters | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 3,538 millimeters | -18.5% |
| 2016 | 4,620 millimeters | +30.6% |
| 2017 | 4,723 millimeters | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 4,155 millimeters | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 4,301 millimeters | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 4,622 millimeters | +7.5% |
| 2021 | 4,315 millimeters | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 3,600 millimeters | -16.6% |
| 2023 | 3,989 millimeters | +10.8% |
| 2024 | 4,330 millimeters | +8.6% |
| 2025 | 4,152 millimeters | -4.1% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 4,152 millimeters is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,013 millimeters, 4.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 4,152 millimeters is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,984 millimeters, 2.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3,834 millimeters | 3,042 millimeters | 4,745 millimeters | 10 |
| 1950s | 3,687 millimeters | 3,343 millimeters | 4,012 millimeters | 10 |
| 1960s | 3,675 millimeters | 3,172 millimeters | 4,152 millimeters | 10 |
| 1970s | 3,756 millimeters | 3,238 millimeters | 4,089 millimeters | 10 |
| 1980s | 3,663 millimeters | 3,131 millimeters | 3,950 millimeters | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,640 millimeters | 2,788 millimeters | 4,127 millimeters | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,855 millimeters | 3,336 millimeters | 4,079 millimeters | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,282 millimeters | 3,538 millimeters | 4,723 millimeters | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,168 millimeters | 3,600 millimeters | 4,622 millimeters | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 2 Solomon Islands 4,109 millimeters compare
- 3 Philippines 3,683 millimeters compare
- 4 Indonesia 3,662 millimeters compare
More climate change data for Papua New Guinea
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 18.97 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,290 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 396.23 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,894 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1.5 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 67.64 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 108.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 105.81 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.88 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.3993 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual precipitation in Papua New Guinea?
- Annual precipitation in Papua New Guinea was 4,152 millimeters in 2025, according to Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual precipitation recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 4,745 millimeters in 1943.
- What is the lowest annual precipitation recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,788 millimeters in 1997.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for annual precipitation?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 1st out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual precipitation rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual precipitation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 86 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual precipitation—rain and snow—calculated as the sum of daily averages, reported as the depth of water falling to Earth's surface, excluding fog and dew.