Human Development Index in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Human Development Index was 0.576 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Human Development Index in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 0.576 for human development index in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human development index in Papua New Guinea peaked at 0.576 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.403, in 1990.
Papua New Guinea ranks 160th of 192 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.4345 | 0.403 | 0.454 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4728 | 0.456 | 0.495 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5354 | 0.503 | 0.566 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5705 | 0.567 | 0.576 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More reference data data for Papua New Guinea
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.1304 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 3.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 3.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 3.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.5713 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 47.13 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.3264 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 51.14 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 54.73 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate -0.6539 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human development index in Papua New Guinea?
- Human development index in Papua New Guinea was 0.576 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest human development index recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.576 in 2023.
- What is the lowest human development index recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.403 in 1990.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for human development index?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 160th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is human development index rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Human Development Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living. Higher values indicate higher human development.