Press freedom in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Press freedom was 2 in 2016. ▬ Flat
Press freedom in Papua New Guinea, 1979–2016
Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 2 for press freedom in 2016. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, press freedom in Papua New Guinea peaked at 2 in 1979 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1979.
That places Papua New Guinea 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1980s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 1990s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 1 Andorra 2 compare
- 1 Australia 2 compare
- 1 Austria 2 compare
- 1 Bahamas 2 compare
- 1 Barbados 2 compare
- 1 Belgium 2 compare
- 1 Belize 2 compare
- 1 Canada 2 compare
- 1 Cape Verde 2 compare
- 1 Chile 2 compare
- 1 Costa Rica 2 compare
- 1 Cyprus 2 compare
- 1 Czechia 2 compare
- 1 Denmark 2 compare
- 1 Dominica 2 compare
- 1 Estonia 2 compare
- 1 Finland 2 compare
- 1 France 2 compare
- 1 Germany 2 compare
- 1 Grenada 2 compare
- 1 Iceland 2 compare
- 1 Ireland 2 compare
- 1 Jamaica 2 compare
- 1 Japan 2 compare
- 1 Kiribati 2 compare
- 1 Latvia 2 compare
- 1 Liechtenstein 2 compare
- 1 Lithuania 2 compare
- 1 Luxembourg 2 compare
- 1 Malta 2 compare
- 1 Marshall Islands 2 compare
- 1 Mauritius 2 compare
- 1 Monaco 2 compare
- 1 Netherlands 2 compare
- 1 New Zealand 2 compare
- 1 Norway 2 compare
- 1 Palau 2 compare
- 1 Portugal 2 compare
- 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
- 1 Saint Lucia 2 compare
- 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 compare
- 1 Samoa 2 compare
- 1 San Marino 2 compare
- 1 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 1 Slovakia 2 compare
- 1 Slovenia 2 compare
- 1 Solomon Islands 2 compare
- 1 Spain 2 compare
- 1 Suriname 2 compare
- 1 Sweden 2 compare
- 1 Switzerland 2 compare
- 1 Taiwan 2 compare
- 1 Tonga 2 compare
- 1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
- 1 Tuvalu 2 compare
- 1 United Kingdom 2 compare
- 1 United States 2 compare
- 1 Uruguay 2 compare
- 1 Vanuatu 2 compare
More social development data for Papua New Guinea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 7,727 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 644 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score 0.0577 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 1,227 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 3,121 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 80,848 (2025)
- Internally displaced people (IDP) by country or territory of asylum / 70,000 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is press freedom in Papua New Guinea?
- Press freedom in Papua New Guinea was 2 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest press freedom recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1979.
- What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1979.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for press freedom?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
- Is press freedom rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Press freedom. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Based on the classification and data by Freedom House. It captures the legal, political, and economic environment of the press.