New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea: Share of population living in the capital city
New Zealand
2.9%
in 2020
Papua New Guinea
4.0%
in 2020
New Zealand rank
157th
Papua New Guinea rank
154th
Share of population living in the capital city over time
- New Zealand
- Papua New Guinea
How they compare
Papua New Guinea currently reports 4.0% against 2.9% in New Zealand, a difference of 1.1%.
That makes Papua New Guinea's figure about 1.4 times New Zealand's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 11 shared years of data; in 1970 it was New Zealand ahead.
New Zealand ranks 157th and Papua New Guinea ranks 154th of 170 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 1 and Papua New Guinea in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | Papua New Guinea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 0.2% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 2.5% | 3.2% | 0.6% | Papua New Guinea |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 3.9% | 1.5% | Papua New Guinea |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 3.7% | 1.3% | Papua New Guinea |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 3.5% | 1.0% | Papua New Guinea |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 4.0% | 1.1% | Papua New Guinea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in the capital city, New Zealand or Papua New Guinea?
- Papua New Guinea, at 4.0% against 2.9% in New Zealand as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in the capital city between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea?
- 1.1%, with Papua New Guinea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and Papua New Guinea?
- 11 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2020.
- How do New Zealand and Papua New Guinea rank globally for share of population living in the capital city?
- New Zealand ranks 157th and Papua New Guinea ranks 154th of 170 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.