Demographics & population — Papua New Guinea
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Demographics & population at a glance
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators. Key figure for Papua New Guinea: 7,259,456
Immigration rules and fees change frequently — confirm current requirements on official government or embassy websites.
Population overview
- Population
7,259,456
- Population Growth Rate
1.89%
- Urban Population
- Population in Major Urban Areas
PORT MORESBY (capital) 343,000
Age & family
- Age Structure
- Median Age
- Birth Rate - births/1,000 population
25
- Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population
6.54
- Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman
3.31
- Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49
32.4%
- Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49
32.4%
- Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female
Ethnicity & language
- Ethnic Groups
Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian
- Language Note
In Papua New Guinea, languages fall within two basic language stocks: Melanesian and Papuan. English is the official language and is taught in public schools. The language used at home, however, is almost always that of one’s language group. Melanesian Pidgin (Tok Pisin) is the most widely used language. Motu is the most common indigenous language, used primarily in the Papuan region.
- Nationality Noun
Papua New Guinean(s)
Education
- Literacy - total population
57.3%
- Literacy - male
71.1%
- Literacy - female
57.7%
- Literacy Definition
age 15 and over can read and write
- Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)
Health & living conditions
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- Infant Mortality Rate
- Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births
- Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births
230
- Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
.05
- Health Expenditures - percent of GDP
4.3%
- Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk
very high
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate
16.2%
- Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved
- Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved
- Underweight - percent of children under five years
18.1%
