People of Papua New Guinea

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PEOPLE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Name of the People: noun: Papua New Guinean(s); adjective: Papua New Guinean.

Ethnic Groups: Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

The indigenous population of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one of the most heterogeneous in the world; PNG has several thousand separate communities, most with only a few hundred people; divided by language, customs, and tradition, some of these communities have engaged in low-scale tribal conflict with their neighbors for millennia; the advent of modern weapons and modern migrants into urban areas has greatly magnified the impact of this lawlessness

Languages: Tok Pisin (official), English (official), Hiri Motu (official), some 839 indigenous languages spoken (about 12 percent of the world's total); many languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers. note: Tok Pisin, a creole language, is widely used and understood; English is spoken by 1 percent-2 percent; Hiri Motu is spoken by less than 2 percent. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Religions: Protestant 64.3 percent (Evangelical Lutheran 18.4 percent, Seventh Day Adventist 12.9 percent, Pentecostal 10.4 percent, United Church 10.3 percent, Evangelical Alliance 5.9 percent, Anglican 3.2 percent, Baptist 2.8 percent, Salvation Army 0.4 percent), Roman Catholic 26 percent, other Christian 5.3 percent, non-Christian 1.4 percent, unspecified 3.1 percent (2011 estimate). note: data represent only the citizen population; roughly 0.3 percent of the population are non-citizens, consisting of Christian 52 percent (predominantly Roman Catholic), other 10.7 percent , none 37.3 percent. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Population of Papua New Guinea

Population: 9,819,350 (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 93. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Population Growth: 2.31 percent (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 30; Birth rate: 28.54 births/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 31; Death rate: 5.48 deaths per 1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 183; Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 97. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Population Distribution: population concentrated in the highlands and eastern coastal areas on the island of New Guinea; predominantly a rural distribution with only about one-fifth of the population residing in urban areas. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Demography of Papua New Guinea

Age Structure: 0-14 years: 37.34 percent (male 1,871,227/female 1,795,700); 15-64 years: 58.75 percent (male 2,917,668/female 2,851,691); 65 years and over: 3.9 percent (2023 estimate) (male 189,851/female 193,213). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Dependency Ratios: total dependency ratio: 60.5; youth dependency ratio: 55.5; elderly dependency ratio: 5; potential support ratio: 20.1 (2021 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Median Age: total: 24 years; male: 24 years; female: 24 years (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 170. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Urbanization: urban population: 13.7 percent of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 2.91 percent annual rate of change (2020-25 estimate); Major Urban Areas (population): 410,000 PORT MORESBY (capital) (2023)

Fertility, Birth Control, Marriage and Sex Ratios

Total Fertility Rate: 3.85 children born per woman (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 30; Gross reproduction rate: 1.88 (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Contraceptive Use: 36.7 percent (2016/18). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Sex Ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female; 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female; total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Mother’s Mean Age at First Birth: .21.9 years (2016/18). note: data represents median age a first birth among women 25-49

Maternal Mortality Ratio: 192 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 47. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Married Women (ages 15-49): 65.5 percent (2023 estimate)

Child Marriage: women married by age 15: 8 percent
women married by age 18: 27.3 percent
men married by age 18: 3.7 percent (2018 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Health in Papua New Guinea

Infant Mortality Rate: total: 32.81 deaths per 1,000 live births; male: 36.11 deaths per 1,000 live births; female: 29.34 deaths per 1,000 live births (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 41. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 69.74 years; male: 68.04 years; female: 71.52 years (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: population 177. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Major Infectious Diseases Degree of Risk:: very high (2023); food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever; vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Obesity (prevalence rate among adults): 21.3 percent (2016); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 90. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita: total: 1.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); beer: 0.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); wine: 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); spirits: 0.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 144. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Percentage of Population That Uses Tobacco: total: 39.3 percent (2020 estimate); male: 53.5 percent (2020 estimate); female: 25.1 percent (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 5. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Children Under the Age of Five Years That Are Underweight 27.8 percent (2009/11); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 8. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Drinking Water Source: improved: urban: 86.2 percent of population; rural: 41.5 percent of population; total: 47.5 percent of population; unimproved: urban: 13.8 percent of population; rural: 58.5 percent of population; total: 52.5 percent of population (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]

Image Sources:

Text Sources: CIA World Factbook, 2023; “Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume 2: Oceania,” edited by Terence E. Hays, 1991, Wikipedia, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.

Last updated August 2023


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