Population by labor force status bars in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: Population by labor force status bars was 3.57 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
3.57 million
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
79th
of 186 countries
All-time high
3.57 million
in 2025
All-time low
1.69 million
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Population by labor force status bars in Papua New Guinea, 1991–2025

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1991200820251991: 1.7M1992: 1.7M1993: 1.8M1994: 1.8M1995: 1.9M1996: 2.0M1997: 2.0M1998: 2.1M1999: 2.1M2000: 2.2M2001: 2.3M2002: 2.3M2003: 2.4M2004: 2.5M2005: 2.5M2006: 2.6M2007: 2.7M2008: 2.7M2009: 2.8M2010: 2.9M2011: 2.9M2012: 3.0M2013: 3.0M2014: 3.1M2015: 3.2M2016: 3.2M2017: 3.3M2018: 3.3M2019: 3.4M2020: 3.4M2021: 3.4M2022: 3.5M2023: 3.5M2024: 3.5M2025: 3.6M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, population by labor force status bars in Papua New Guinea stood at 3.57 million. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population by labor force status bars in Papua New Guinea peaked at 3.57 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.69 million, in 1991.

That places Papua New Guinea 79th out of 186 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.

Population by labor force status bars in Papua New Guinea, year by year

Annual values for Population by labor force status bars in Papua New Guinea, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 1.69 million —
1992 1.74 million +3.0%
1993 1.79 million +3.1%
1994 1.85 million +3.1%
1995 1.90 million +3.1%
1996 1.96 million +3.1%
1997 2.02 million +3.1%
1998 2.09 million +3.1%
1999 2.15 million +3.0%
2000 2.21 million +3.0%
2001 2.28 million +2.9%
2002 2.34 million +2.8%
2003 2.41 million +2.7%
2004 2.47 million +2.6%
2005 2.53 million +2.6%
2006 2.60 million +2.6%
2007 2.66 million +2.5%
2008 2.73 million +2.5%
2009 2.80 million +2.4%
2010 2.86 million +2.4%
2011 2.93 million +2.3%
2012 2.99 million +2.1%
2013 3.05 million +2.0%
2014 3.11 million +1.9%
2015 3.16 million +1.8%
2016 3.22 million +1.7%
2017 3.27 million +1.6%
2018 3.32 million +1.5%
2019 3.36 million +1.4%
2020 3.41 million +1.3%
2021 3.45 million +1.2%
2022 3.48 million +1.0%
2023 3.51 million +0.9%
2024 3.54 million +0.8%
2025 3.57 million +0.7%

Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries

  • Papua New Guinea's 3.57 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.79 million, 94% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Papua New Guinea's 3.57 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.11 million, 3.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.91 million 1.69 million 2.15 million 9
2000s 2.50 million 2.21 million 2.80 million 10
2010s 3.13 million 2.86 million 3.36 million 10
2020s 3.49 million 3.41 million 3.57 million 6

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

  1. 76 Tajikistan 3.87 million compare
  2. 77 Bolivia 3.70 million compare
  3. 78 Haiti 3.67 million compare
  4. 80 Jordan 3.48 million compare
  5. 81 Togo 3.47 million compare
  6. 82 Honduras 3.33 million compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Papua New Guinea

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is population by labor force status bars in Papua New Guinea?
Population by labor force status bars in Papua New Guinea was 3.57 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest population by labor force status bars recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The highest recorded value was 3.57 million in 2025.
What is the lowest population by labor force status bars recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The lowest recorded value was 1.69 million in 1991.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for population by labor force status bars?
Papua New Guinea ranks 79th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is population by labor force status bars rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. 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 Population by labor force status bars. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population by labor force status bars in Papua New Guinea. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/population-by-labor-force-status-bars/papua-new-guinea/

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About this data

Indicator
Population by labor force status bars
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed