Papua New Guinea

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<p>Papua New Guinea (PNG) occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea; the western half is part of Indonesia. PNG was first settled between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. Its harsh geography of mountains, jungles, and numerous river valleys kept many of the arriving groups isolated, giving rise to PNG’s ethnic and linguistic diversity. Around 500 B.C., Austronesian voyagers settled along the coast. Spanish and Portuguese explorers periodically visited the island starting in the 1500s, but none made it into the country’s interior. American and British whaling ships frequented the islands off the coast of New Guinea in the mid-1800s. In 1884, Germany declared a protectorate -- and eventually a colony -- over the northern part of what would become PNG and named it German New Guinea; days later the UK followed suit on the southern part and nearby islands and called it Papua. Most of their focus was on the coastal regions, leaving the highlands largely unexplored.<br><br>The UK put its colony under Australian administration in 1902 and formalized the act in 1906. At the outbreak of World War I, Australia occupied German New Guinea and continued to rule it after the war as a League of Nations Mandate. The discovery of gold along the Bulolo River in the 1920s led prospectors to venture into the highlands, where they found about 1 million people living in isolated communities. The New Guinea campaign of World War II lasted from January 1942 to the Japanese surrender in August 1945. After the war, Australia combined the two territories and administered PNG as a UN trusteeship. In 1975, PNG gained independence and became a member of the Commonwealth. <br><br>Between 1988-1997, a secessionist movement on the island province of Bougainville, located off the eastern PNG coast, fought the PNG Government, resulting in 15,000-20,000 deaths. In 1997, the PNG Government and Bougainville leaders reached a cease-fire and subsequently signed a peace agreement in 2001. The Autonomous Bougainville Government was formally established in 2005. Bougainvilleans voted in favor of independence in a 2019 non-binding referendum. The Bougainville and PNG governments are in the process of negotiating a roadmap for independence, which requires approval by the PNG parliament. </p>

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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

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6 00 S, 147 00 E

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Oceania

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slightly larger than California

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5,152 km

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<strong>note: </strong>measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

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

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mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

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

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0 sq km (2022)

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Sepik river source and mouth (shared with Indonesia) - 1,126 km; Fly river source and mouth (shared with Indonesia) - 1,050 km

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population concentrated in the highlands and eastern coastal areas on the island of New Guinea; predominantly a rural distribution with only about one fifth of the population residing in urban areas

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active volcanism; frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> severe volcanic activity; Ulawun (2,334 m), one of Papua New Guinea's potentially most dangerous volcanoes, has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Rabaul (688 m) destroyed the city of Rabaul in 1937 and 1994; Lamington erupted in 1951, killing 3,000 people; Manam's 2004 eruption forced the island's abandonment; other historically active volcanoes include Bam, Bagana, Garbuna, Karkar, Langila, Lolobau, Long Island, Pago, St. Andrew Strait, Victory, and Waiowa; see note 2 under "Geography - note"

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<strong>note 1:</strong> shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; highlands that trend from east to west break up New Guinea into diverse ecoregions; one of world's largest swamps lies along the southwest coast <br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> Papua New Guinea is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes

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Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

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Tok Pisin (official), English (official), Hiri Motu (official), some 839 living indigenous languages are spoken (about 12% of the world's total)

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<strong>note:</strong> Tok Pisin, a creole language, is widely used and understood; English is spoken by 1%-2%; Hiri Motu is spoken by less than 2%

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Protestant 64.3% (Evangelical Lutheran 18.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.9%, Pentecostal 10.4%, United Church 10.3%, Evangelical Alliance 5.9%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.8%, Salvation Army 0.4%), Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 5.3%, non-Christian 1.4%, unspecified 3.1% (2011 est.)

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<strong>note:</strong> data represent only the citizen population; roughly 0.3% of the population are non-citizens, consisting of Christian 52% (predominantly Roman Catholic), other 10.7% , none 37.3%

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2.22% (2025 est.)

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27.57 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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population concentrated in the highlands and eastern coastal areas on the island of New Guinea; predominantly a rural distribution with only about one fifth of the population residing in urban areas

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410,000 PORT MORESBY (capital) (2023)

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21.9 years (2016/18)

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<strong>note:</strong> data represents median age a first birth among women 25-49

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189 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

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3.72 children born/woman (2025 est.)

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1.82 (2025 est.)

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0.06 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

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0.2 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)

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21.3% (2016)

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66.9% (2018 est.)

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the indigenous population of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one of the most heterogeneous in the world; PNG has several thousand separate communities, most with only a few hundred people; divided by language, customs, and tradition, some of these communities have engaged in low-scale tribal conflict with their neighbors for millennia; the advent of modern weapons and modern migrants into urban areas has greatly magnified the impact of this lawlessness

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rainforest loss as a result of commercial demand for tropical timber; soil erosion, water-quality degradation, and loss of habitat from logging; effects of large-scale mining projects (discharge of heavy metals, cyanide, and acids into rivers); severe drought; land degradation from poor farming practices; poor fishing practices; coastal pollution due to runoff and oil spills

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

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8.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

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801 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

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parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

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20 provinces, 1 autonomous region*, and 1 district**; Bougainville*, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Hela, Jiwaka, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital**, New Ireland, Northern, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain, West Sepik

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mixed system of English common law and customary law

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has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

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18 years of age; universal

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Destiny Party <br>Liberal Party <br>Melanesian Alliance Party or MAP <br>Melanesian Liberal Party or MLP <br>National Alliance Party or NAP <br>Our Development Party or ODP <br>Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU PATI <br>Papua New Guinea Greens Party <br>Papua New Guinea National Party <br>Papua New Guinea Party or PNGP <br>People's First Party or PFP <br>People's Movement for Change or PMC <br>People's National Congress Party or PNC <br>People’s National Party <br>People's Party or PP <br>People's Progress Party or PPP <br>People's Reform Party or PRP <br>Social Democratic Party or SDP <br>Triumph Heritage Empowerment Party or THE <br>United Labor Party or ULP <br>United Resources Party or URP

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ACP, ADB, AOSIS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (observer), C, CD, CP, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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16 September 1975 (from the Australia-administered UN trusteeship)

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Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

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<strong>description:</strong> divided diagonally from upper-left corner; the upper triangle is red and has a soaring yellow bird of paradise in the center; the lower triangle is black with five five-pointed white stars of the Southern Cross constellation<br><br><strong>meaning: </strong>red, black, and yellow are the country's traditional colors; the bird of paradise is an emblem of regional tribal culture and represents the emergence of Papua New Guinea as a nation; the Southern Cross symbolizes the country's connection with Australia and several other countries in the South Pacific

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bird of paradise

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red, black

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Papua New Guinea's coat of arms was adopted on July 1, 1971, and features the country's national symbol, the Raggiana bird-of-paradise; the bird stands for the nation's freedom and rich natural environment; the traditional spear under the bird represents the country's ethnic groups and the protection of its heritage, and the Kundu drum, which is used in ceremonies, represents local artistic traditions and communication

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<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>

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<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

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<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

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<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

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$32.538 billion (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate

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<b>note:</b> annual % change based on consumer prices

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<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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oil palm fruit, coconuts, bananas, fruits, sweet potatoes, game meat, yams, root vegetables, vegetables, sugarcane (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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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)

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3.6% (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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3.66 million (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

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<b>note:</b> personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

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<b>note:</b> central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

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<b>note:</b> central government debt as a % of GDP

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15.9% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

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<b>note:</b> central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

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China 28%, Japan 25%, Australia 17%, Taiwan 8%, India 4% (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

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natural gas, gold, copper ore, palm oil, nickel (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

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Australia 27%, China 24%, Singapore 15%, Malaysia 9%, Japan 4% (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

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refined petroleum, trucks, rice, plastic products, excavation machinery (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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<b>note:</b> holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

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<b>note:</b> present value of external debt in current US dollars

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5 TV stations: 1 commercial (TV Wan), 2 state-run (National Broadcasting Corporation and EMTV); 1 digital free-to-view network, and 1 satellite network (Click TV or PNGTV); the state-run NBC operates 3 radio networks with multiple repeaters and about 20 provincial stations; several commercial radio stations with multiple transmission points as well as several community stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters are accessible (2023)

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.pg

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P2

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569 (2025)

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3 (2025)

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Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF): Land, Air, Maritime elements<br><br>Ministry of Internal Security: Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) (2025)

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estimated 4,000 active PNGDF&nbsp; (2025)

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the PNGDF is lightly armed; the Land Force has no heavy weapons while the Air and the Maritime forces have a handful of light aircraft and small patrol boats provided by Australia and New Zealand (2025)

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18-27 (30 for officers) for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)

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the Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF) is tasked with defense of the country and its territories against external attack, as well as internal security and socio-economic development duties; following some inter-tribal violence in Wapenamanda in 2024, the PNGDF was given arrest powers<br><br>since 2023, Papua New Guinea has signed bilateral defense cooperation agreements with Australia, Indonesia, the UK, and the US; the 2023 defense cooperation agreement with the US allowed the US military to develop and operate out of bases in PNG with the PNG Government’s approval; PNG has also military relations with France and New Zealand and has discussed a security cooperation agreement with China <br><br>the PNGDF was established in 1973, and its primary combat unit, the Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (RPIR), is descended from Australian Army infantry battalions comprised of native soldiers and led by Australian officers and non-commissioned officers formed during World War II to help fight the Japanese; the RPIR was disbanded after the war, but reestablished in 1951 as part of the Australian Army where it continued to serve until PNG gained its independence in 1975, when it became part of the PNGDF (2025)