Labor force participation rate in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Labor force participation rate was 52.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 52.1% for labor force 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 force participation rate in Papua New Guinea peaked at 52.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 47.9%, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 48.2% | 47.9% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.6% | 48.5% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.7% | 48.3% | 51.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.8% | 51.0% | 52.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More work & labour data for Papua New Guinea
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 0 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 0 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 52.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 53.3% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 95.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 50.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 52.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 54.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 51.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Papua New Guinea?
- Labor force participation rate in Papua New Guinea was 52.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 52.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.9% in 1994.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for labor force participation rate?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force 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 ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force 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).
About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).