Labor force, total in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Labor force, total was 3.75 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, total in Papua New Guinea stood at 3.75 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 34.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in Papua New Guinea peaked at 3.75 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.10 million, in 1990.
That places Papua New Guinea 98th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.30 million | 1.10 million | 1.55 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.92 million | 1.61 million | 2.24 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.74 million | 2.31 million | 3.19 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.52 million | 3.27 million | 3.75 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 33.1% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 121.1% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 40,888 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 118.9% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 123.1% (2023)
- Labor force, female 47.7% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.9329 GPI (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in Papua New Guinea?
- Labor force, total in Papua New Guinea was 3.75 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 3.75 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.10 million in 1990.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for labor force, total?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 98th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.