Primary education, pupils in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Primary education, pupils was 1.65 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Primary education, pupils in Papua New Guinea, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary education, pupils in Papua New Guinea is 1.65 million, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.3% on the previous year and up 46.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Papua New Guinea peaked at 1.65 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 191,083, in 1970.
That places Papua New Guinea 72nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 232,285 | 191,083 | 277,854 | 10 |
| 1980s | 354,681 | 299,823 | 417,818 | 8 |
| 1990s | 491,822 | 415,195 | 580,623 | 9 |
| 2000s | 533,114 | 496,616 | 600,557 | 8 |
| 2010s | 1.27 million | 1.13 million | 1.39 million | 5 |
| 2020s | 1.46 million | 1.34 million | 1.65 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 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, total 3.75 million (2025)
- Labor force, female 47.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Papua New Guinea?
- Primary education, pupils in Papua New Guinea was 1.65 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.65 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 191,083 in 1970.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for primary education, pupils?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 72nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.