Papua New Guinea

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Papua New Guinea spends US$81 million on its military, or 0.34 percent of its GDP. This makes Papua New Guinea the 143rd highest military spender in the world and represents 0.004 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Papua New Guinea, called the Papua New Guinea defence force, has been established since 1973 and consists of land forces, and Air Force and a Navy. Most of its equipment has been supplied by Australia and most of its service members have been trained by Australia.

Military membership

Papua New Guinea is also a member of 4 international military organizations. This makes it the 129th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Papua New Guinea has not partaken in international wars.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Papua New Guinea is a member of 11 international political organizations. This makes it the 114th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Pacific Islands Forum
Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Pacific Community
Commonwealth of Nations

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Instability within Papua New Guinea comes from several factors such as civil unrest, corruption as well as a lack of accountability by members of Parliament. Despite this, Papua New Guinea has made some large improvements over the last decade which ranks it as the 87th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Papua New Guinea has been facing several crises, and only two governments have been able to complete their terms since its independence in 1975. Its current political system is a parliamentary representative democracy within the British Commonwealth where the British monarch is head of state and the Prime Minister is head of government.

Interpol
Global Green Growth Institute
Alliance of Small Island States
World Organization for Animal Health
Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation

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Known for its Marine diversity as well as its abundance of natural resources, Papua New Guinea has been following a path towards becoming a developed state. Before contact with Europeans, Papua New Guinea was inhabited by more than 700 different tribes. After coming into contact with Spanish explorers in the 16th century, it became part of the Dutch Empire at the start of the 19th century. At the end of the 19th century, Germany and Britain took control over Papua New Guinea after transferring control from Britain to Australia as well as Australia invading Papua New Guinea during the first world war, the territory came under the jurisdiction of Australia. After a brief occupation by the Japanese during the second world war, Australia regained its territory until it became fully independent in 1975. Since then, a struggle ensued between the government and separatist movements which left thousands dead and millions displaced. After an armistice at the end of the 20th century, Papua New Guinea entered a period of stability.

Located on the western part of the islands of New Guinea, the geography of Papua New Guinea is considered to be mountainous and mainly covered by rain forest. Because of its location on tectonic plates, Papua New Guinea is prone to earthquakes as well as volcanic eruptions. It only shares a border with Indonesia which holds the Western part of the island. It is the 54th largest state with a total surface area of 465.154 square kilometers or 179.594 square miles. This makes Papua New Guinea slightly smaller than Sweden and slightly larger than Cameroon.

With a total surface area of 462,840 square kilometers or 178,700 square miles it is the 54th largest state in the world, being slightly smaller than Sweden and slightly larger than Cameroon.

It has a total water surface area of 10.030 square kilometers or 3.869 square miles. This makes Papua New Guinea the 50th largest state in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its water is derived from countless rivers that flow down into more than 5000 lakes. Most of its drinking water is also supplied from these lakes, but is considered unsafe to drink.

The climate of Papua New Guinea is considered to be a tropical climate with a wet and a dry season. The average temperature is 24.9 degrees Celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Papua New Guinea the 59th warmest state in the world.

During the wet season, between December and March, the average high temperature is 29.2 degrees Celsius or 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the dry season, from April to November, the average low temperature is 20.7 degrees Celsius or 69.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because of its location near the equator, Papua New Guinea is prone to have a high amount of rainfall which mainly occurs during its wet season. Its rainfall is unevenly spread out with its northern part receiving two and half times more than its southern part. On average, Papua New Guinea receives 288 centimetres or 110.5 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 7th highest in the world.

Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, is home to approximately 400,000 people. The closest capital is Honiara, Solomon Islands, with a distance of 1403 kilometers or 872 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Praia, Cabo Verde, with a distance of 18.858 kilometers or 11.718 miles.

The economy of Papua New Guinea is considered to be a developing economy. The main reasons for this are its rugged and densely forested terrain which makes it difficult to access its natural resources. This has left the majority of the population reliant on subsistence farming and a small portion of the population reliant on the extraction of available natural resources. Most of these resources are gold, petroleum and tropical agricultural products such as coffee, wood and palm oil. These are mainly exported to Australia and Japan which combined represent nearly 50 percent of all exports. Most of its imports also comes from Australia in Japan and also represents nearly 50 percent.

Papua New Guinea is a member of 11 international economic organizations. This makes it the 138th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
Asian Development Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Melanesian Spearhead Group
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

It has a GDP of US$23 billion, which makes it the 112th highest in the world and represents 0.03 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 168th highest in the world with US$50.315 per square kilometer or US$130.318 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 138th highest in the world with US$2644.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 155th highest in the world with US$4070.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total of 8.8 million people, Papua New Guinea is the 97th most populous state in the world. The population of Papua New Guinea is characterized as extremely diverse with more than 700 different tribes. Its official languages are English, Hiri Motu and Tok Pisin, which are spoken by a minority of the population.

It has the 165th highest population density in the world with 19 people per square kilometer or 49 people per square mile.

Less than 0.1 percent of the population, or less than 5000 people, have migrated to other states. This represents 0.002 percent of total global emigration and ranks Papua New Guinea as the 190th state with the highest number of emigrants. The main destinations for emigration have been the United Kingdom and New Zealand for economic reasons.

Immigration is represented by 0.32 percent of the population, or just under 30,000 people. This makes Papua New Guinea the 126th state with the highest amount of immigration and represents 0.012 percent of total global immigration. These are mainly businessmen or people from other international organizations.

Education is not compulsory and is managed on a local level. Its current literacy rate is 63 percent which is the 173rd highest in the world.

The health care system of Papua New Guinea is considered to be a developing healthcare system. Because of its lack of infrastructure, healthcare is unevenly available throughout Papua New Guinea. The majority of health risks in Papua New Guinea are related to communicable diseases with HIV and tuberculosis being the leading cause of death. The average life expectancy is 65.24 years which is the 153rd highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 66.62 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 63.9 years.

The government of Papua New Guinea provides freedom of religion towards all religions. However, due to its adherence to Christian values, it has engaged in several operations with Christian churches.

With 82.8 percent of the population adhering to Christianity, Papua New Guinea is the 37th most Christian state in the world. Despite not adhering to a specific denomination, Christianity in Papua New Guinea is considered to be a mix between indigenous religions such as animism and ancestor worship combined with Christianity.

Islam is followed by less than 5000 people, or less than 0.01 percent of the population. This makes Papua New Guinea the 179th most Islamic state in the world. The adherents to Islam adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam and are mainly situated in the larger cities.

There are no official Buddhist organizations in Papua New Guinea.

There are no official Hindu organizations in Papua New Guinea. However, it is estimated that 0.03 percent of the population adheres to Hinduism.

There are no official jewish organizations in Papua New Guinea.

Other religions are represented by 0.4 percent of the population. Despite mainly adherents to Christianity, there is a small population that relies solely on traditional indigenous religions.

Irreligion is represented by 0.03 percent of the population.