Employment in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Employment was 3,650 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in Papua New Guinea, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment in Papua New Guinea stood at 3,650. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and up 34.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in Papua New Guinea peaked at 3,650 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1,100, in 1991.
That places Papua New Guinea 96th out of 188 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1,100 | — |
| 1992 | 1,142 | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 1,185 | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 1,232 | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 1,284 | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 1,331 | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 1,387 | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 1,446 | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 1,503 | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 1,565 | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 1,629 | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 1,695 | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 1,762 | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 1,831 | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 1,900 | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 1,970 | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 2,039 | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 2,115 | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 2,189 | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 2,261 | +3.3% |
| 2011 | 2,341 | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 2,432 | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 2,525 | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 2,614 | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 2,708 | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 2,805 | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 2,903 | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 3,007 | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 3,109 | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 3,174 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 3,291 | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 3,401 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 3,479 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 3,560 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 3,650 | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,290 | 1,100 | 1,503 | 9 |
| 2000s | 1,869 | 1,565 | 2,189 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,671 | 2,261 | 3,109 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,426 | 3,174 | 3,650 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More work & labour data for Papua New Guinea
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0564 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0424 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0705 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4419 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.49 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,326 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 10,546 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 9,357 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 9,284 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 18,640 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in Papua New Guinea?
- Employment in Papua New Guinea was 3,650 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 3,650 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,100 in 1991.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for employment?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 96th out of 188 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.8%. 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, published as part of Employment (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.