Rank #148 by World Population
🇵🇬Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea has a population of 10,389,635, ranking #148 in the world. The capital is Port Moresby. Located in East Asia & Pacific.
World Bank: Lower middle income
10,389,635
Population
#148
World Rank
66.1
Life Expectancy
$2,966
GDP Per Capita
Papua New Guinea, #148 by world population
Papua New Guinea Population History (1960-2024)
The country of Papua New Guinea had a population of 1,995,110 in 1960 and 10,576,502 in 2024, a 5.3× growth over 64 years. The peak was 10,576,502 in 2024. Average annual growth rate: 2.64%.
10,576,502
Population (2024)
1,995,110
Population (1960)
10,576,502
Peak (2024)
2.64%
Avg Annual Growth
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 1,995,110 |
| 1961 | 2,046,127 |
| 1962 | 2,093,919 |
| 1963 | 2,141,376 |
| 1964 | 2,188,325 |
| 1965 | 2,235,820 |
| 1966 | 2,285,774 |
| 1967 | 2,337,532 |
| 1968 | 2,390,803 |
| 1969 | 2,446,927 |
| 1970 | 2,505,628 |
| 1971 | 2,566,421 |
| 1972 | 2,628,432 |
| 1973 | 2,690,629 |
| 1974 | 2,752,671 |
| 1975 | 2,814,820 |
| 1976 | 2,877,327 |
| 1977 | 2,940,327 |
| 1978 | 3,003,714 |
| 1979 | 3,067,341 |
| 1980 | 3,131,512 |
| 1981 | 3,197,019 |
| 1982 | 3,264,291 |
| 1983 | 3,333,633 |
| 1984 | 3,405,198 |
| 1985 | 3,478,936 |
| 1986 | 3,554,793 |
| 1987 | 3,632,543 |
| 1988 | 3,711,880 |
| 1989 | 3,796,078 |
| 1990 | 3,896,481 |
| 1991 | 4,021,837 |
| 1992 | 4,166,699 |
| 1993 | 4,320,872 |
| 1994 | 4,480,208 |
| 1995 | 4,644,278 |
| 1996 | 4,813,361 |
| 1997 | 4,987,883 |
| 1998 | 5,166,390 |
| 1999 | 5,349,333 |
| 2000 | 5,537,064 |
| 2001 | 5,728,435 |
| 2002 | 5,924,003 |
| 2003 | 6,123,997 |
| 2004 | 6,328,041 |
| 2005 | 6,535,905 |
| 2006 | 6,747,720 |
| 2007 | 6,963,345 |
| 2008 | 7,183,002 |
| 2009 | 7,406,438 |
| 2010 | 7,633,523 |
| 2011 | 7,859,346 |
| 2012 | 8,081,390 |
| 2013 | 8,302,698 |
| 2014 | 8,523,441 |
| 2015 | 8,743,246 |
| 2016 | 8,961,718 |
| 2017 | 9,178,714 |
| 2018 | 9,394,513 |
| 2019 | 9,609,010 |
| 2020 | 9,815,746 |
| 2021 | 10,012,896 |
| 2022 | 10,203,169 |
| 2023 | 10,389,635 |
| 2024 | 10,576,502 |
Demographics
| Population | 10,389,635 |
| Population Growth Rate | 1.81% |
| Urban Population | 15.1% |
| Fertility Rate | 3.10 births/woman |
| Life Expectancy | 66.1 years |
| Infant Mortality Rate | 32.2 per 1,000 |
| Literacy Rate | - |
Economy & Trade
$2,966
GDP Per Capita
2.6%
Unemployment Rate
Lower middle income
Income Level
39,000
Tourism Arrivals
Health & Education
2.9%
Health Expenditure (% GDP)
0.06
Physicians per 1,000
0.8%
Education Expenditure (% GDP)
32.2
Infant Mortality (per 1,000)
Development & Connectivity
20.5%
Electricity Access
18.3%
Internet Users
48
Mobile Subs per 100
22.9
People per km2
-787
Net Migration
Environment
79.0%
Forest Area
Other Countries in East Asia & Pacific
Papua New Guinea in global context
Papua New Guinea is one of 212 countries tracked. See how it ranks globally, regional shares of world population, and projections to 2050 / 2100.
World Population 2026: Top 10 Countries, Regions & Trends →Other related entities
Country rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
Papua New Guinea has a population of 10,389,635, ranking #148 in the world. The annual population growth rate is 1.81%.
Life expectancy in Papua New Guinea is 66.1 years. The infant mortality rate is 32.2 per 1,000 live births.
Papua New Guinea's GDP per capita is $2,966. It is classified as a lower middle income country by the World Bank.
15.1% of Papua New Guinea's population lives in urban areas. The overall population density is 22.9 people per square kilometer.
Literacy data for Papua New Guinea is available from the World Bank.
International data from the World Bank Open Data API. Population figures are latest available estimates. GDP per capita in current US dollars.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. population demographics distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. states, metros, cities, and ZIPs. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.