The total population in Papua New Guinea was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 1.4 million people (+11.16 percent). After the tenth consecutive increasing year, the total population is estimated to reach 13.91 million people and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the total population was continuously increasing over the past years.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.Find more key insights for the total population in countries like Tonga, Kiribati, and Australia.

The total population in Papua New Guinea was estimated at 10.3 million people in 2023, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Papua New Guinea Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The annual population growth in Papua New Guinea declined to 1.83 percent in 2023. Therefore, the population growth in Papua New Guinea saw its lowest number in that year with 1.83 percent. Population growth refers to the annual change in population, and is based on the balance between birth and death rates, as well as migration.Find more key insights for the annual population growth in countries like New Zealand and Solomon Islands.

Chart and table of Papua New Guinea population from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

This is a subset of Population projections

Population projections for Pacific Island Countries and territories from 1950 to 2050, by sex and by 5-years age groups.

The population density in Papua New Guinea increased by 0.4 inhabitants per square kilometer (+1.81 percent) in 2022. While the growth is slowing down, with 22.53 inhabitants per square kilometer, the population density is at its peak in the observed period. Notably, the population density continuously increased over the last years.Population density is calculated by dividing the total population by the total land area, to show the average number of people living there per square kilometer of land.

Population ages 25-29, male (% of male population) in Papua New Guinea was reported at 8.5381 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Papua New Guinea - Population ages 25-29, male (% of male population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Population ages 15-64, male in Papua New Guinea was reported at 3344727 Persons in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Papua New Guinea - Population ages 15-64, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

1) At administrative level 1 these tables do not refer to the National Capital District or to the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. The National Capital District is combined with the Central Province and Bougainville is combined with the North Solomons province.

2) The administrative unit P-codes found in these tables do not completely correspond with the P-codes found in the shapefiles available on HDX (here)[https://data.humdata.org/dataset/papua-new-guinea-admin-level-0-international-boundaries].

Papua New Guinea PG: Urban Population: % of Total Population data was reported at 13.102 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.050 % for 2016. Papua New Guinea PG: Urban Population: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 13.053 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.994 % in 1990 and a record low of 3.725 % in 1960. Papua New Guinea PG: Urban Population: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Papua New Guinea – Table PG.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.; ; United Nations Population Division. World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

This statistic shows the age structure in Papua New Guinea from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, about 33.8 percent of Papua New Guinea's total population were aged 0 to 14 years.

WorldPop produces different types of gridded population count datasets, depending on the methods used and end application. Please make sure you have read our Mapping Populations overview page before choosing and downloading a dataset.

Datasets are available to download in Geotiff and ASCII XYZ format at a resolution of 30 arc-seconds (approximately 1km at the equator)

-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020: Population density datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 – derived from the corresponding Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 population count datasets by dividing the number of people in each pixel by the pixel surface area. These are produced using the unconstrained top-down modelling method.
-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 UN adjusted: Population density datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 – derived from the corresponding Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 population UN adjusted count datasets by dividing the number of people in each pixel, adjusted to match the country total from the official United Nations population estimates (UN 2019), by the pixel surface area. These are produced using the unconstrained top-down modelling method.

Data for earlier dates is available directly from WorldPop.

WorldPop (www.worldpop.org - School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton; Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Louisville; Departement de Geographie, Universite de Namur) and Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University (2018). Global High Resolution Population Denominators Project - Funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076). https://dx.doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00674

In 2023, the share of urban population in Papua New Guinea remained nearly unchanged at around 13.72 percent. Nevertheless, 2023 still represents a peak in the share in Papua New Guinea. A population may be defined as urban depending on the size (population or area) or population density of the village, town, or city. The urbanization rate then refers to the share of the total population who live in an urban setting. International comparisons may be inconsistent due to differing parameters for what constitutes an urban center.Find more key insights for the share of urban population in countries like Solomon Islands and Tonga.

This statistic shows the median age of the population in Papua New Guinea from 1950 to 2100*.The median age is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older. It is a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population. In 2020, the median age of the Papua New Guinean population was 21.7 years.

Papua New Guinea administrative level 0-3 2011 population statistics.
(Please see caveats.)

REFERENCE YEAR: 2011

See caveats

These population statistics .csv tables are suitable for database or GIS linkage to the shapefiles available in the Papua New Guinea - Subnational Administrative Boundaries HDX dataset.

Source: National Statistics Office 2011 Census results

Population ages 55-59, male (% of male population) in Papua New Guinea was reported at 3.2746 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Papua New Guinea - Population ages 55-59, male (% of male population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

More statistical data on PDH.STAT: https://stats.pacificdata.org/

Papua New Guinea PG: Population: Male data was reported at 4,197,478.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,112,925.000 Person for 2016. Papua New Guinea PG: Population: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 2,112,912.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,197,478.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 1,039,665.000 Person in 1960. Papua New Guinea PG: Population: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Papua New Guinea – Table PG.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all male residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Sum;

This project was initiated in 2021 to generate modelled population estimates for Papua New Guinea (PNG) to support their census preparations. It was powered by the Australian Government through the PNGAus partnership, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)and the PNG National Statistical Office. The project team combined recent 2019-2021 malaria bednet campaign data, urban structural listing 2021 data, and geospatial covariates to model and estimate population numbers at census unit level, and aggregate at other relevant administrative units (e.g., national, province, and districts) using a Bayesian statistical hierarchical modelling framework. The approach facilitated simultaneous accounting for the multiple levels of variability within the data hierarchy. It also allowed the quantification of uncertainties in parameter estimates. These model-based population estimates can be considered as most accurately representing the years 2020-21. This time period corresponds to the malaria survey and urban structural listing survey observations (2019-2021; median year: 2020) and the period of the satellite imagery used to generate settlement footprints (2021). Although the methods were robust enough to explicitly account for key random biases within the datasets, it is noted that systematic biases, which may arise from sources other than random errors within the observed data collection process, are most likely to remain. These data were produced by the WorldPop Research Group at the University of Southampton in collaboration with the National Statistical Office of PNG and UNFPA under the project called “Population-modelled estimation for Papua New Guinea in collaboration with the National Statistical Office, 2021-22” (PNG40-0000004504). The final statistical modelling was designed, developed, and implemented by Chris Nnanatu. Data processing was done by Amy Bonnie with additional support from Tom Abbott, Tom McKeen, Heather Chamberlain, Ortis Yankey, Duygu Cihan and Assane Gadiaga. Project oversight was done by Attila Lazar and Andy Tatem. Household survey listing data were provided by the National Statistical Office, and the settlement footprint was generated by Planet.

WorldPop produces different types of gridded population count datasets, depending on the methods used and end application. Please make sure you have read our Mapping Populations overview page before choosing and downloading a dataset.


Bespoke methods used to produce datasets for specific individual countries are available through the WorldPop Open Population Repository (WOPR) link below. These are 100m resolution gridded population estimates using customized methods ("bottom-up" and/or "top-down") developed for the latest data available from each country. They can also be visualised and explored through the woprVision App.
The remaining datasets in the links below are produced using the "top-down" method, with either the unconstrained or constrained top-down disaggregation method used. Please make sure you read the Top-down estimation modelling overview page to decide on which datasets best meet your needs. Datasets are available to download in Geotiff and ASCII XYZ format at a resolution of 3 and 30 arc-seconds (approximately 100m and 1km at the equator, respectively):

- Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 ( 1km resolution ): Consistent 1km resolution population count datasets created using unconstrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020.
- Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 ( 100m resolution ): Consistent 100m resolution population count datasets created using unconstrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020.
- Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 UN adjusted ( 100m resolution ): Consistent 100m resolution population count datasets created using unconstrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 and adjusted to match United Nations national population estimates (UN 2019)
-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 UN adjusted ( 1km resolution ): Consistent 1km resolution population count datasets created using unconstrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 and adjusted to match United Nations national population estimates (UN 2019).
-Unconstrained global mosaics 2000-2020 ( 1km resolution ): Mosaiced 1km resolution versions of the "Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020" datasets.
-Constrained individual countries 2020 ( 100m resolution ): Consistent 100m resolution population count datasets created using constrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for 2020.
-Constrained individual countries 2020 UN adjusted ( 100m resolution ): Consistent 100m resolution population count datasets created using constrained top-down methods for all countries of the World for 2020 and adjusted to match United Nations national population estimates (UN 2019).

Older datasets produced for specific individual countries and continents, using a set of tailored geospatial inputs and differing "top-down" methods and time periods are still available for download here: Individual countries and Whole Continent.

Data for earlier dates is available directly from WorldPop.

WorldPop (www.worldpop.org - School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton; Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Louisville; Departement de Geographie, Universite de Namur) and Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University (2018). Global High Resolution Population Denominators Project - Funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076). https://dx.doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00645