Papua New Guinea (Independent State of Papua New Guinea)

https://www.humantruth.info/papua_new_guinea.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2025

Papua New Guinea Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	185th best
Capital	Port Moresby
Land Area	452 860km²₁
Location	Australasia, Melanesia
Population	8.6m₂
Life Expectancy	65.35yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$4 009 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	PG, PNG, 598₅
Internet Domain	.pg₆
Currency	Kina (PGK)₇
Telephone	+675₈

1. Overview

#australia #germany #indonesia #papua_new_guinea #UK

The island of New Guinea is divided almost equally into two halves. The Eatern half is called Papua New Guinea, which has been an independent state since 1975, before which it was owned by Australia, Germany and the UK. The Western half is part of Indonesia. Humans have lived on the island of New Guinea for 40,000 years, whereupon they started cultivating and exploiting plants like yams and taro₉.

“The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₁₀

“Coral-ringed beaches, smouldering volcanoes and rainforest-covered mountains meet traditional villages and tropical islands in a remote and unforgettable adventure getaway. The striking natural beauty and myriad complex cultures in Papua New Guinea offer some riveting and truly life-affirming experiences - along with some challenging, frontier-style travel. Highland cultures, wild festivals, world-class diving, the notorious Kokoda Track and a relative dearth of tourists make this one of the Pacific´s most intriguing destinations.
PNG is a megadiverse region, owing much of its diversity to its topography. The mountainous terrain has spawned diversity in two ways: isolated highlands are often home to unique fauna and flora found nowhere else, while within any one mountain range you will find different species as you go higher.
Slip beneath the surface to find an incredible underwater world and a wealth of WWII wreck dives. For a glimpse into PNG´s fascinating tribal cultures, head to the Highlands or to the remote, untrammelled island provinces and Trobriand Islands. Just don´t expect a lazy island resort holiday - PNG is a true travel experience.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₁

2. Papua New Guinea National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₂
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
154	Zambia	0.565
155	Solomon Islands	0.564
156=	Comoros	0.558
156=	Papua New Guinea	0.558
158	Mauritania	0.556
159	Ivory Coast	0.550
160	Tanzania	0.549
161	Pakistan	0.544
	Australasia Avg	0.70
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₂
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
150	Cambodia	$4 079
151	Kiribati	$4 063
152	Sao Tome & Principe	$4 021
153	Papua New Guinea	$4 009
154	Nepal	$3 877
155	Myanmar	$3 851
156	Zimbabwe	$3 810
157	Micronesia	$3 696
	Australasia Avg	$12 519
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₃
1	Denmark	26.9
2	Norway	29.1
3	Sweden	29.9
	...
182	Iraq	123.7
183	Comoros	123.9
184	Mozambique	124.0
185	Papua New Guinea	124.1
186	Mauritania	125.1
187	Myanmar	126.5
188	Liberia	126.6
189	Central African Rep.	126.7
	Australasia Avg	95.6
	World Avg	89.0
q=200.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Papua New Guinea's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Papua New Guinea's population is predicted to rise to 10.18 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 3.17. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1, once you take mortality into account₁₄. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₅

Population₂
Pos.		2018 Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
95	Tajikistan	9.1m
96	Austria	8.9m
97	Serbia	8.8m
98	Papua New Guinea	8.6m
99	Switzerland	8.5m
100	Israel	8.4m
101	Togo	7.9m
102	Sierra Leone	7.7m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₂
Pos.		2021 Years₁₂
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
145	Gabon	65.8
146	Guyana	65.7
147	Myanmar	65.7
148	Papua New Guinea	65.4
149	Marshall Islands	65.3
150	Sudan	65.3
151	Ethiopia	65.0
152	Tuvalu	64.5
	World Avg	71.28
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₆
Pos.		2022₁₆
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
151	Puerto Rico	0.90
152	Tajikistan	3.14
153	Tuvalu	3.14
154	Papua New Guinea	3.17
155	Tonga	3.19
156	S. Korea	0.78
157	Namibia	3.25
158	Kiribati	3.27
	World Avg	2.47
q=208. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better₁₇
Pos.		2016 Per 100₁₇
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
34	Comoros	06.3
35=	Mozambique	06.4
35=	Madagascar	06.4
35=	Papua New Guinea	06.4
38=	Ghana	06.5
38=	Palestine	06.5
40=	Ethiopia	06.6
40=	Swaziland	06.6
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants₁₈
Pos.		2017 %₁₈
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
173	Cambodia	0.5%
174	Honduras	0.4%
175	Solomon Islands	0.4%
176	Papua New Guinea	0.4%
177	India	0.4%
178	Afghanistan	0.4%
179	Haiti	0.4%
180	Brazil	0.4%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants₁₉
Pos.		2010 %₁₉
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
175	Myanmar	1.0%
176	Solomon Islands	1.0%
177	India	0.9%
178	Papua New Guinea	0.9%
179	USA	0.8%
180	Namibia	0.7%
181	Ethiopia	0.7%
182	Tanzania	0.7%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #papua_new_guinea #papua_new_guinea_human_rights #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₀
1	Sweden	7.8
2	Netherlands	8.7
3	Denmark	8.8
	...
128	Grenada	107.1
129	Kazakhstan	108.1
130	Benin	108.6
131	Papua New Guinea	108.8
132	Cambodia	109.0
133	Central African Rep.	109.1
	Australasia Avg	79.23
	World Avg	89.80
q=199.

Papua New Guinea is very poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world, and it has cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Papua New Guinea does better than average in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁ (one of the best in Australasia), supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₂ (but amongst the worst in Australasia), supporting press freedom₂₃ (but the lowest in Australasia) and in its average Freedom in the World rating (but one of the highest in Australasia). Papua New Guinea doesn't do so well in other areas. Papua New Guinea does worse than average in freethought₂₄ (one of the worst in Australasia), combatting modern slavery₂₅, LGBT equality in the 2020s₂₆ and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₇. And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom in terms of opposing gender inequality₂₈. "The government has not taken sufficient steps to address gender inequality, violence, excessive use of force by police, or corruption and relies heavily on religious groups and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) to provide services on a charitable basis to meet the economic and social rights of the population"₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Papua New Guinea

5. Papua New Guinea's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #papua_new_guinea #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Compared to Australasia (2025)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₀
1	Australia	60.4
2	New Zealand	65.0
3	New Caledonia	68.1
	...
11	Guam	122.6
12	Solomon Islands	122.9
13	Samoa	124.2
14	Micronesia	126.6
15	Cook Islands	127.5
16=	Nauru	136.0
16=	Kiribati	136.0
18	Papua New Guinea	136.9
19	Marshall Islands	141.2
	Australasia Avg	112.00
q=19.

Health (2025)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₀
1	Monaco	10.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Japan	37.3
	...
180	Guinea-Bissau	136.2
181	Ethiopia	136.3
182	Benin	136.7
183	Papua New Guinea	136.9
184	Gabon	137.4
185	Uganda	137.4
186	Cameroon	138.1
187	Burkina Faso	139.0
	World Avg	97.57
q=207.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and Japan₃₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₃₁.

42 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, delivery rate of infant DTP immunizations, delivery rate of 7x Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 and childhood mortality. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₃₁, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia₃₁.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

5.1. Health Datasets

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #papua_new_guinea #smoking

Papua New Guinea is a pretty unhealthy country. Papua New Guinea does better than average for its alcohol consumption rate₃₂ (one of the best in Australasia) and in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₃ (one of the best in Australasia). But that's it. Papua New Guinea has problems. It does worse than average when it comes to its adolescent birth rate₃₄, its average life expectancy₁₂ (one of the lowest in Australasia), childhood mortality in the 2020s₃₅ and in its fertility rate₁₆. It falls into the worst-performing 20 in terms of its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₆ (the highest in Australasia), its smoking rate₃₇ and in delivery rate of 7x Infant Immunizations 2011-2015₃₈ (amongst the lowest in Australasia). And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom for delivery rate of infant DTP immunizations in the 2020s₃₉. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years. Life expectancy in Papua New Guinea improved by +5.8yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. Papua New Guinea's peak fertility rate was 6.26 in 1969.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₂
Pos.		2021 Years₁₂
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
145	Gabon	65.8
146	Guyana	65.7
147	Myanmar	65.7
148	Papua New Guinea	65.4
149	Marshall Islands	65.3
150	Sudan	65.3
151	Ethiopia	65.0
152	Tuvalu	64.5
	Australasia Avg	70.11
	World Avg	71.28
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better₃₂
Pos.		2016 Per Capita₃₂
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
27=	Comoros	0.9
28=	Iran	1.0
28=	Vanuatu	1.0
30	Papua New Guinea	1.2
31=	Eritrea	1.3
31=	Guinea	1.3
31=	Mali	1.3
34	Solomon Islands	1.4
	Australasia Avg	4.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₆
Pos.		2022₁₆
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
151	Puerto Rico	0.90
152	Tajikistan	3.14
153	Tuvalu	3.14
154	Papua New Guinea	3.17
155	Tonga	3.19
156	S. Korea	0.78
157	Namibia	3.25
158	Kiribati	3.27
	Australasia Avg	2.82
	World Avg	2.47
q=208. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better₃₇
Pos.		Total %₃₇
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
158	Indonesia	38.2%
159	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	38.8%
160	Bulgaria	39.5%
161	Serbia	39.6%
162	Papua New Guinea	39.7%
163	Kiribati	39.7%
164	Myanmar	44.4%
165	Nauru	48.3%
	Australasia Avg	29.2%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165. Also scored for 2000s-2020s.

In the 2000s, Papua New Guinea was one of only 8 countries that had an average smoking rate of over 50% of the population.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better₃₆
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₆
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
154	Cape Verde	154
155	Bahamas	155
156	Libya	156
157	Papua New Guinea	157
158	Belize	158
159	Algeria	159
160	Senegal	160
161	Mauritania	161
	Australasia Avg	94.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better₃₃
Pos.		1976 %₃₃
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
79=	St Vincent & Grenadines	25.9
79=	Solomon Islands	25.9
81	Grenada	26.2
82	Papua New Guinea	26.3
83	Tajikistan	26.4
84	Uzbekistan	27.1
85	St Kitts & Nevis	27.2
86=	Dominican Rep.	27.3
	Australasia Avg	48.8
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better₄₀
Pos.		2022 %₄₀
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
75	Norway	19.8%
76	Vanuatu	19.9%
77	Gabon	20.0%
78	Papua New Guinea	20.1%
79	Turkmenistan	20.2%
80	Luxembourg	20.2%
81	Andorra	20.5%
82	Tajikistan	20.8%
	Australasia Avg	49.3%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

5.2. Children's Health Datasets

#children's_health #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better₃₄
Pos.		2022 Per 1000₃₄
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
126	Burundi	52.6
127	Mexico	53.7
128	Cape Verde	54.0
129	Papua New Guinea	54.3
130	El Salvador	54.5
131	Suriname	55.2
132	Comoros	56.1
133	Peru	56.1
	Australasia Avg	40.2
	World Avg	43.8
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Infant DTP Immunizations (2020s) Higher is better₃₉
Pos.		Total Avg %₃₉
1=	Luxembourg	99.0
1=	Oman	99.0
1=	Niue	99.0
	...
204	Angola	64.2
205	Afghanistan	62.7
206	Venezuela	60.3
207	Azerbaijan	58.0
208	Yemen	57.0
209	Central African Rep.	42.6
210	Papua New Guinea	41.8
211	Sint Eustatius	38.1
	Australasia Avg	90.0
	World Avg	88.5
q=211. Also scored for 1980s-2020s.

7x Infant Immunizations (2011-2015) Higher is better₃₈
Pos.		2015 Avg %₃₈
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
180	Niger	69.7
181	Samoa	68.1
182	Yemen	67.4
183	Papua New Guinea	66.3
184	Haiti	65.7
185	Vanuatu	65.5
186	Guinea	63.3
187	Syria	62.4
	Australasia Avg	86.4
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better₃₅
Pos.		Total Per 1000₃₅
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
148	Mauritania	49.55
149	Rwanda	50.42
150	Botswana	50.43
151	Papua New Guinea	52.31
152	Namibia	52.36
153	Myanmar	52.96
154	Senegal	53.83
155	Ghana	54.29
	Australasia Avg	25.09
	World Avg	32.19
q=195. Also scored for 1960s-2020s.

6. Papua New Guinea's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #papua_new_guinea #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to Australasia (2025)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₁
1	New Zealand	75.8
2	Australia	76.6
3	Fiji	89.1
4	Vanuatu	93.0
5	Tonga	96.1
6	Papua New Guinea	104.5
7	Samoa	107.0
8	Kiribati	111.4
9	Micronesia	114.6
10	Cook Islands	119.6
11	Solomon Islands	121.6
12	Marshall Islands	123.1
13	Palau	124.5
	Australasia Avg	93.28
q=16.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₁
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
160	St Lucia	103.6
161	USA	103.8
162	Lebanon	103.9
163	Papua New Guinea	104.5
164	Serbia	104.8
165	Haiti	105.8
166	Samoa	107.0
167	Bahrain	107.9
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₂. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Papua New Guinea is 163rd in the world in terms of its responsibility towards the environment (still good for Australasia). This rank is formulated from 21 data sets. Papua New Guinea does better than average for its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. However Papua New Guinea performs less well in most areas. It does worse than average in reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₃ and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₄. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 in its environmental performance₄₅ (the lowest in Australasia).

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better₄₄
Pos.		Total₄₄
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
148	French Guiana	-1.0%
149	Congo, (Brazzaville)	-1.1%
150	St Lucia	-1.1%
151	Papua New Guinea	-1.2%
152	Armenia	-1.3%
153	Philippines	-1.3%
154	British Virgin Islands	-1.4%
155	Cayman Islands	-1.6%
	Australasia Avg	0.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better₄₅
Pos.		2018₄₅
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
161	Cameroon	40.8
162	Swaziland	40.3
163	Djibouti	40.0
164	Papua New Guinea	39.4
165	Eritrea	39.3
166	Mauritania	39.2
167	Benin	38.2
168	Afghanistan	37.7
	Australasia Avg	55.2
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
55	Spain	66%
56	Guatemala	66%
57	Belgium	66%
58	Papua New Guinea	66%
59	Italy	66%
60	Morocco	66%
61	Congo, DR	65%
62	Sri Lanka	65%
	Australasia Avg	48.2%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197. Also scored for 1970s-2020s.

Papua New Guinea was one of the 30 who signed the Convention on Biological Diversity on its first day.

Meat Consumption Lower is better₄₃
Pos.		2021 kg₄₃
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
99	Belize	56.6
100	Japan	57.2
101	Turkmenistan	57.4
102	Papua New Guinea	58.5
103	Trinidad & Tobago	58.5
104	Armenia	60.0
105	Suriname	60.8
106	Colombia	60.9
	Australasia Avg	74.2
	World Avg	52.5
q=185. Also scored for 2010s.

In the 2010s, meat consumption per person in Papua New Guinea was reducing.₄₃

7. Papua New Guinea's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to Australasia (2025)₄₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₆
1	New Zealand	19.3
2	Australia	29.2
3	Tonga	62.0
4	Fiji	71.5
5	Samoa	99.8
6	Marshall Islands	111.1
7	Kiribati	127.3
8	Solomon Islands	154.5
9	Papua New Guinea	158.4
	Australasia Avg	92.56
q=9.

Modernity & Learning (2025)₄₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₆
1	Vatican City	1.0
2	Finland	4.8
3	Belgium	8.5
	...
185	Sierra Leone	153.8
186	Solomon Islands	154.5
187	Yemen	155.0
188	Papua New Guinea	158.4
189	Afghanistan	158.6
190	Liberia	160.4
191	Myanmar	163.3
192	Somalia	170.1
	World Avg	80.33
q=194.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are The Vatican City, Finland and Belgium₄₇. The worst countries are S. Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia₄₇. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₄₈.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”
Bill Emmott (2017)₄₉

23 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Intellectual Endeavours, metric system adoption rate, Religiosity, IQ, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Maths, Science & Reading, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₇, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₇.

For more, see:

" Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

7.1. Modernity Datasets

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better₃₆
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₆
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
134	Suriname	134
135	Uruguay	135
136	Honduras	136
137	Papua New Guinea	137
138	Congo, DR	138
139	Ecuador	139
140	Syria	140
141	Mauritania	141
	Australasia Avg	58.7
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

7.2. Education Datasets

#education

Secondary Education Higher is better₅₀
Pos.		2018₅₀
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
160	Rwanda	16.3%
161	Tanzania	14.3%
162	Mali	13.1%
163	Papua New Guinea	12.5%
164	Bhutan	12.0%
165	Guinea	11.7%
166	Burundi	9.3%
167	Burkina Faso	8.8%
	Australasia Avg	79.3%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better₅₁
Pos.		2021 Years₅₁
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
158	Guinea-Bissau	10.6
159	Guatemala	10.6
160	Liberia	10.4
161	Papua New Guinea	10.4
162	Solomon Islands	10.3
163	Afghanistan	10.3
164	Marshall Islands	10.2
165	Mozambique	10.2
	Australasia Avg	13.4
	World Avg	13.5
q=193. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

7.3. Technology and Information Datasets

#the_internet

Internet Users Higher is better₅₂
Pos.		2016₅₂
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
170	Rwanda	12%
171	Mali	12%
172	Haiti	12%
173=	Papua New Guinea	12%
173=	Djibouti	12%
175	Cambodia	11%
176	Gabon	10%
177	Burkina Faso	10%
	Australasia Avg	44.3%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better₅₃
Pos.		2017 Ratio₅₃
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
143=	Mauritania	0.0
143=	Iraq	0.0
143=	Oman	0.0
143=	Papua New Guinea	0.0
143=	French Polynesia	0.0
143=	Palestine	0.0
143=	Lesotho	0.0
143=	Monaco	0.0
	Australasia Avg	1.55
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. Papua New Guinea's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #corruption #economics #extremism #health #human_development #inequality #internationalism #life_expectancy #peace #politics #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

8.1. National Culture Datasets

#corruption #internationalism #politics

On the Corruption Index, Papua New Guinea scored on average 25.6 over the 2012-2016 period. Over the 10 years since then, it improved by 4.4 points.

Corruption Higher is better₅₄
Pos.		2022 Points₅₄
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
132=	Togo	30.0
132=	Swaziland	30.0
132=	Djibouti	30.0
132=	Papua New Guinea	30.0
136	Gabon	29.0
137=	Paraguay	28.0
137=	Russia	28.0
137=	Mali	28.0
	Australasia Avg	55.83
	World Avg	42.98
q=180. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better₃₆
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₆
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
91	Jordan	91
92	Haiti	92
93	Tunisia	93
94	Papua New Guinea	94
95	Belarus	95
96	Mongolia	96
97	Madagascar	97
98	Bolivia	98
	Australasia Avg	61.1
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Passport Reach (2020s) Higher is better₅₅
Pos.		Total Q₅₅
1	Singapore	192.2
2	Japan	192.0
3	S. Korea	190.7
	...
149	Senegal	56.8
150	Madagascar	56.5
151	Togo	56.2
152	Papua New Guinea	55.8
153	Equatorial Guinea	55.7
154=	Mali	54.5
154=	Niger	54.5
156=	Cambodia	53.7
	Australasia Avg	123.4
	World Avg	108.8
q=195. Also scored for 2000s-2020s.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better₃₆
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₆
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
156	Venezuela	156
157	Bahrain	157
158	Mauritania	158
159	Brunei	159
160	Algeria	160
161	Papua New Guinea	161
162	Brazil	162
163	Equatorial Guinea	163
	Australasia Avg	91.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8.2. Peace Versus Instability Datasets

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index Lower is better₅₆
Pos.		2023 Score₅₆
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
93	Gabon	2.07
94	Georgia	2.07
95	Algeria	2.09
96=	Papua New Guinea	2.10
96=	Azerbaijan	2.10
98	Ecuador	2.10
99	Cuba	2.10
100	Turkmenistan	2.11
	Australasia Avg	1.64
	World Avg	2.07
q=163. Also scored for 2010s.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better₃₆
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₆
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
127	Chad	127
128	Montenegro	128
129	Dominican Rep.	129
130	Papua New Guinea	130
131	Syria	131
132	Belarus	132
133	Portugal	133
134	El Salvador	134
	Australasia Avg	88.1
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better₃₆
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₆
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
95	Peru	95
96	Gabon	96
97	Russia	97
98	Papua New Guinea	98
99	Mexico	99
100	Senegal	100
101	Georgia	101
102	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	102
	Australasia Avg	103.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better₅₇
Pos.		2019 Score₅₇
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
59	Morocco	1.22
60	Guatemala	1.33
61	Georgia	1.34
62	Papua New Guinea	1.36
63	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.39
64	Kyrgyzstan	1.47
65	Ghana	1.56
66	Kazakhstan	1.57
	Australasia Avg	1.38
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

8.3. Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #social_development

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better₅₈
Pos.		2019₅₈
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
142=	Gabon	22.80
143=	Turkmenistan	23.40
143=	Djibouti	23.40
145	Papua New Guinea	24.10
146=	Zimbabwe	24.20
146=	Ghana	24.20
148=	Kiribati	24.70
148=	Yemen	24.70
	Australasia Avg	13.47
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better₅₉
Pos.		2023 %₅₉
1	Slovakia	24.1%₆₀
2	Slovenia	24.3%₆₀
3	Belarus	24.4%₆₁
	...
128	Haiti	41.1%₆₂
129	USA	41.3%₆₃
130	Djibouti	41.6%₆₄
131	Papua New Guinea	41.9%₆₅
132	Cameroon	42.2%₆₀
133	Cape Verde	42.4%₆₆
134	Madagascar	42.6%₆₂
135	Uganda	42.7%₆₇
	Australasia Avg	34.8%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167. Also scored for 1980s-2010s.

Income inequality data is rarely available for Papua New Guinea - only for 2 years between 1980 and 2019.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₆₈:

	2010	2020
Christian	99.5%	99.1%
Other	<0.1%	0.519%
Unaffiliated	0.372%	0.311%
Muslim	<0.1%	<0.1%
Buddhist	<0.1%	<0.1%
Hindu	<0.1%	<0.1%
Jewish	<0.1%	<0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 27%, Protestant 69.4% (Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%, United Church 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8.9%), Baha'i 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3.3% (2000 census)₆₉.

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems