# Papua New Guinea — key facts

Source: GeoReality (https://geo-reality.com) — verified country data, regenerated 2026-09-01.
When citing a figure, attribute both GeoReality and the primary source in the third column.

- Capital: Port Moresby
- Region: Oceania · Melanesia
- Full profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/pg
- Methodology and source URLs: https://geo-reality.com/data-sources

| Fact | Value | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,762,817 | World Bank SP.POP.TOTL |
| Area | 452,860 km² | World Bank AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 3,020 USD | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 5,215 intl $ | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| GDP (total) | 32.5 bn USD | World Bank NY.GDP.MKTP.CD |
| Human Development Index | 0.57 | UNDP Human Development Report (2022) |
| Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful) | 2 | IEP Global Peace Index (2024) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 66.3 years | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Fertility rate | 3.07 births/woman | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Unemployment | 2.6% | World Bank SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS |
| Inflation (CPI, annual) | 4.4% | World Bank FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG |
| Cost of living index (NYC = 100) | 47.5 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Safety index (Numbeo) | 19.1 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Internet users | 18.8% of population | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 15.8% | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Renewable share of energy | 54.6% | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Forest area | 79% of land | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |
| CO2 emissions per capita | 0.52 t/yr | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Corporate tax rate | 30% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (corporate column, headline statutory rate) (2024) |

## Two decades of change

| Indicator | First → last observed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 61.87 (2005) → 66.26 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Internet users | 1.75 (2006) → 18.81 (2024) | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 13.05 (2006) → 15.78 (2025) | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Births per woman | 4.22 (2005) → 3.07 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Renewable share of energy | 57.5 (2004) → 54.6 (2022) | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Access to electricity | 14.1 (2005) → 43.3 (2024) | World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS |
| Infant mortality | 51.6 (2005) → 31.3 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |
| CO2 emissions per person | 0.8 (2005) → 0.52 (2024) | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Forest area | 80.02 (2004) → 78.95 (2023) | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |

Context across all countries: https://geo-reality.com/changed

## Human Development Index, 1990–2022

Source: UNDP Human Development Report, composite indices complete time series (2023-24). Annual values as published, none interpolated.

| Year | HDI |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.394 |
| 1991 | 0.402 |
| 1992 | 0.412 |
| 1993 | 0.425 |
| 1994 | 0.438 |
| 1995 | 0.440 |
| 1996 | 0.445 |
| 1997 | 0.445 |
| 1998 | 0.447 |
| 1999 | 0.454 |
| 2000 | 0.456 |
| 2001 | 0.459 |
| 2002 | 0.462 |
| 2003 | 0.467 |
| 2004 | 0.465 |
| 2005 | 0.469 |
| 2006 | 0.471 |
| 2007 | 0.479 |
| 2008 | 0.484 |
| 2009 | 0.489 |
| 2010 | 0.497 |
| 2011 | 0.502 |
| 2012 | 0.510 |
| 2013 | 0.516 |
| 2014 | 0.531 |
| 2015 | 0.540 |
| 2016 | 0.547 |
| 2017 | 0.553 |
| 2018 | 0.556 |
| 2019 | 0.562 |
| 2020 | 0.567 |
| 2021 | 0.564 |
| 2022 | 0.568 |

Chart: https://geo-reality.com/country/pg#hdi-history

Vintages marked "varies" are the most recent value the source publishes per country; the profile page states the exact year per figure.