Population, total in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Population, total was 10.76 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population, total in Papua New Guinea, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, population, total in Papua New Guinea stood at 10.76 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Papua New Guinea peaked at 10.76 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.00 million, in 1960.
Papua New Guinea ranks 91st of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.22 million | 2.00 million | 2.45 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.78 million | 2.51 million | 3.07 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.45 million | 3.13 million | 3.80 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.58 million | 3.90 million | 5.35 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.45 million | 5.54 million | 7.41 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.63 million | 7.63 million | 9.61 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.29 million | 9.82 million | 10.76 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More climate change data for Papua New Guinea
- Population growth 1.7% (2025)
- Urban population growth 4.1% (2025)
- Urban population 1.70 million (2025)
- Urban population 15.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.3921 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.0% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 3.7% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 0.7% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 0.1% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 2.7 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in Papua New Guinea?
- Population, total in Papua New Guinea was 10.76 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 10.76 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.00 million in 1960.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for population, total?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 91st out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.