Papua New Guinea

Independent State of Papua New Guinea
ISO: PP / null Papuaniugini

📊 Quick Facts

Capital
Port Moresby
Population (2024)
10,046,233
Total Area
462,840 km²
GDP (PPP)
$45.49 billion
Government Type
parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Independence
16 September 1975 (from the Australia-administered UN trusteeship)

🌍 Geography

Location: Oceania, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia

Area & Boundaries

Total Area 462,840 km²
Land Area 452,860 km²
Water Area 9,980 km²
World Rank by Area #null
Land Boundaries 824 km
Coastline 5,152 km

Bordering Countries

Indonesia (824 km)

Terrain & Climate

Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

Climate: tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation

Elevation

Highest Point : N/Am
Lowest Point : nullm
Mean Elevation 667m

Natural Resources

gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries

👥 Demographics

Population Overview

Total Population (2024) 10,046,233
World Rank #null
Growth Rate 2.26%
Urbanization null%

Age & Life Expectancy

Median Age 21.7 years
Life Expectancy null years
Birth Rate 28.1 per 1,000
Death Rate 5.4 per 1,000

Major Urban Areas

Languages

Education

Literacy Rate: null% (Male: 78.4%, Female: 61.6%)

💼 Economy

<p>lower-middle-income Pacific island economy; primarily informal agrarian sector; natural-resource-rich and key exporter of liquified natural gas; collapse in betel nut prices, tighter monetary policy, and improved foreign-exchange availability contributing to declining inflation; challenges include lack of progress in infrastructure, agricultural reform, and corruption</p>

GDP & Economic Indicators

GDP (PPP) $45.49 billion
GDP (Official Rate) $32.54 billion
GDP per Capita (PPP) $4,300
World GDP Rank #null
GDP Growth Rate 4.1%
Unemployment Rate null%
Inflation Rate 0.6%
Public Debt (% of GDP) null%

GDP Composition by Sector

Agriculture 17.2%
Industry 37.2%
Services 41.5%

Major Industries

oil and gas; mining (gold, copper, and nickel); palm oil processing; plywood and wood chip production;&nbsp;copra crushing; construction; tourism; fishing; livestock (pork, poultry, cattle) and dairy farming; spice products (turmeric, vanilla, ginger, cardamom, chili, pepper, citronella, and nutmeg)

Trade

Exports N/A
Imports N/A
Foreign Exchange Reserves N/A
Currency (null)

🏛️ Government

Government Type parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of State:

Head of Government:

Legislative Branch

National Holiday

Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

📈 Social Indicators

Physicians 0.06 per 1,000
Hospital Beds 0.2 per 1,000
Health Expenditure 2.3% of GDP
Education Expenditure 0.8% of GDP

🎨 Cultural Heritage

UNESCO World Heritage Sites 1

Notable Sites

Data Sources: CIA World Factbook, World Bank, United Nations, IMF, OECD
Reference Year: 2024
Last Updated: 2026-01-11