Population growth (annual %) (World Population) in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Population growth (annual %) (World Population) was 1.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population growth in Papua New Guinea, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Papua New Guinea stood at 1.7%. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 31.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Papua New Guinea peaked at 3.6% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2025.
That places Papua New Guinea 60th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Population growth (annual %) (World Population) in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.5% | — |
| 1962 | 2.3% | -8.6% |
| 1963 | 2.2% | -2.9% |
| 1964 | 2.2% | -3.2% |
| 1965 | 2.1% | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 2.2% | +2.9% |
| 1967 | 2.2% | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 2.3% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 2.3% | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 2.4% | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 2.4% | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 2.4% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 2.3% | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 2.3% | -2.5% |
| 1975 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 1976 | 2.2% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 2.2% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 2.1% | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 2.1% | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 2.1% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 2.1% | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 2.1% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 2.1% | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 2.1% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 2.2% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 2.2% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 2.2% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 2.2% | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | +16.4% |
| 1991 | 3.2% | +21.3% |
| 1992 | 3.5% | +11.7% |
| 1993 | 3.6% | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 3.6% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 3.6% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 3.6% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 3.5% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 3.5% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 3.4% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 3.3% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 2.7% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 2.5% | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 2.5% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 2.4% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 2.0% | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | -1.6% |
| 2025 | 1.7% | -2.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 1.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 1.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6%, 2.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.4% | 2.6% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 57 Cayman Islands 1.8% compare
- 58 Ghana 1.8% compare
- 59 Tajikistan 1.8% compare
- 61 Armenia 1.7% compare
- 62 Kyrgyzstan 1.7% compare
- 63 Honduras 1.7% 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 population growth in Papua New Guinea?
- Population growth in Papua New Guinea was 1.7% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 1993.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2025.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for population growth?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 60th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.