Papua New Guinea at its true size
Papua New Guinea covers 462,840 km², number 53 of 194 countries by area. Home to 10,762,817 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 462,840 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 10,762,817 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 23 per km² |
| Capital | Port Moresby |
| Local time in Port Moresby | |
| Time zone | UTC+10 · UTC+10 to UTC+11, 2 time zones IANA |
| Currency | Kina (PGK) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu, Papua New Guinean Sign Language |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Melanesia, Oceania |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +675 |
| Codes | PG · PNG · 598 |
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Where Papua New Guinea ranks
Among the independent states, in 39 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#92 of 19411 million people#2 of 13 in Oceania
- Population density#162 of 19423 people per km²#11 of 13 in Oceania
- Urban population#191 of 19216% urban#13 of 13 in Oceania
- Fertility rate#53 of 1923.07 births per woman#7 of 13 in Oceania
- Population growth#57 of 192+1.75% a year#3 of 13 in Oceania
- Birth rate#54 of 19224.3 births per 1,000 people#6 of 13 in Oceania
- Death rate#117 of 1926.6 deaths per 1,000 people#9 of 13 in Oceania
- Children under 15#55 of 19233.1% under 15#8 of 13 in Oceania
- People over 65#150 of 1923.6% aged 65 and over#12 of 13 in Oceania
- Net migration#73 of 1920.0 per 1,000 people#4 of 13 in Oceania
- Refugees abroad#129 of 1900.06 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#7 of 13 in Oceania
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#134 of 185$2,890 a person#12 of 13 in Oceania
- Internet users#175 of 18419% online#11 of 11 in Oceania
- GDP per capita (PPP)#150 of 184$5,215 a person#9 of 13 in Oceania
- GDP growth#38 of 187+5.6% a year#2 of 13 in Oceania
- Inflation#47 of 176+4.4% a year#4 of 11 in Oceania
- Unemployment#154 of 1782.6% of the labour force#6 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in agriculture#43 of 17836.9% of jobs#3 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in industry#166 of 1787.9% of jobs#7 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in services#98 of 17855.3% of jobs#4 of 8 in Oceania
- Foreign investment#181 of 184-3.6% of GDP#12 of 12 in Oceania
- Military spending#149 of 1550.3% of GDP#4 of 4 in Oceania
- Mobile subscriptions#187 of 19139 subscriptions per 100 people#11 of 12 in Oceania
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#149 of 1850.52 tonnes a person#9 of 13 in Oceania
- Forest area#9 of 19275% forest#4 of 13 in Oceania
- Renewable energy#43 of 19054.6% renewable#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Access to electricity#180 of 19243.3% with electricity#13 of 13 in Oceania
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#124 of 19114.1 µg/m³#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Protected land#173 of 1913.7% of the land protected#10 of 13 in Oceania
- Arable land#178 of 1900.7% of the land arable#11 of 12 in Oceania
- Water stress#175 of 1760.1% of its available fresh water#4 of 4 in Oceania
- Precipitation#3 of 1803,142 mm a year#1 of 7 in Oceania
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Papua New Guinea’s area, lit up on the map →
- Yemen1.02×Papua New Guinea and Yemen are almost exactly the same size.
- Cameroon0.97×Papua New Guinea and Cameroon are almost exactly the same size.
- Uzbekistan1.03×Papua New Guinea is 3% larger than Uzbekistan.
- Sweden1.03×Papua New Guinea is 3% larger than Sweden.
- Morocco1.04×Papua New Guinea is 4% larger than Morocco.
- Iraq1.06×Papua New Guinea is 6% larger than Iraq.
How many times does Papua New Guinea fit into…
- Russia: about 37 times
- Canada: about 22 times
- United States: about 21 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Papua New Guinea shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Purari470 km
Summits
- Mount Wilhelm4,509 m
- Mount Victoria3,053 m
- Mount Balbi2,715 m
- Takuan Group2,210 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Papua New Guinea. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Papua New Guinea
- How big is Papua New Guinea?
- Papua New Guinea covers 462,840 km², which makes it number 53 of 194 countries by area. About 10,762,817 people live there (2025), 23 per km².
- Is Papua New Guinea bigger than Yemen?
- Papua New Guinea and Yemen are almost exactly the same size. Papua New Guinea: 462,840 km²; Yemen: 455,503 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Papua New Guinea?
- Papua New Guinea lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Papua New Guinea?
- Papua New Guinea shares a land border with Indonesia.