Employment in services (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Employment in services (% of total employment) was 55.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 55.3% for employment in services (% of total employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in services (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea peaked at 66.7% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 53.8%, in 2022.
Papua New Guinea ranks 107th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 63.2% | — |
| 1992 | 63.3% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 63.2% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 63.3% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 63.5% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 63.8% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 64.0% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 64.3% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 64.1% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 63.9% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 64.2% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 64.3% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 64.5% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 64.8% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 65.0% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 65.3% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 65.7% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 66.0% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 66.4% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 66.7% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 66.1% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 65.4% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 64.5% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 63.5% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 62.6% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 61.7% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 60.7% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 59.7% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 58.8% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 56.4% | -4.1% |
| 2021 | 54.8% | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 53.8% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 54.4% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 54.8% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 55.3% | +0.8% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 55.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 46.5%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 55.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55.3%, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.6% | 63.2% | 64.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 65.0% | 63.9% | 66.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.0% | 58.8% | 66.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.9% | 53.8% | 56.4% | 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 services (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea?
- Employment in services (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea was 55.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 66.7% in 2010.
- What is the lowest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.8% in 2022.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for employment in services (% of total employment)?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 107th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in services (% of total employment) rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The services sector consists of wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate, and business services; and community, social, and personal services, in accordance with divisions 6-9 (ISIC 2) or categories G-Q (ISIC 3) or categories G-U (ISIC 4).