Labor participation rate in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Labor participation rate was 52.07 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
52.07
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
151st
of 186 countries
All-time high
52.07
in 2025
All-time low
47.95
in 1994
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor participation rate in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 52.07 for labor participation rate in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor participation rate in Papua New Guinea peaked at 52.07 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 47.95, in 1994.
That places Papua New Guinea 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor participation rate in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 48.6 | — |
| 1991 | 48.48 | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 48.28 | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 47.99 | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 47.95 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 48.1 | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 48.02 | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 48.18 | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 48.34 | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 48.37 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 48.5 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 48.57 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 48.65 | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 48.67 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 48.68 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 48.62 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 48.58 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 48.49 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 48.56 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 48.48 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 48.34 | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 48.74 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 49.06 | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 49.39 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 49.53 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 49.8 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 50.09 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 50.42 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 50.83 | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 51.14 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 51 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 51.67 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 51.99 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 51.96 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 51.96 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 52.07 | +0.2% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 52.07 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 57.67, 90% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 52.07 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 64.35, 81% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 48.23 | 47.95 | 48.6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.58 | 48.48 | 48.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.73 | 48.34 | 51.14 | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.78 | 51 | 52.07 | 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 labor participation rate in Papua New Guinea?
- Labor participation rate in Papua New Guinea was 52.07 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor participation rate recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 52.07 in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor participation rate recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.95 in 1994.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for labor participation rate?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor participation rate rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).