Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) was 66.13 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
66.13 years
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
181st
of 215 countries
All-time high
66.13 years
in 2023
All-time low
52.14 years
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea stood at 66.13 years. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea peaked at 66.13 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 52.14 years, in 1970.
That places Papua New Guinea 181st out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 52.14 years | — |
| 1971 | 52.59 years | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 53.25 years | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 53.85 years | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 54.44 years | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 54.98 years | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 55.53 years | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 56.05 years | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 56.52 years | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 56.97 years | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 57.39 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 57.76 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 58.08 years | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 58.29 years | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 58.58 years | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 58.8 years | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 59.02 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 59.23 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 59.38 years | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 59.6 years | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 59.78 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 59.94 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 60.26 years | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 60.47 years | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 60.73 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 60.93 years | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 61.07 years | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 61.27 years | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 60.44 years | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 61.51 years | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 61.61 years | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 61.65 years | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 61.64 years | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 61.74 years | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 61.8 years | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 61.87 years | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 62.02 years | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 62.21 years | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 62.51 years | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 62.77 years | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 63.06 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 63.38 years | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 63.64 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 63.93 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 64.2 years | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 64.47 years | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 64.7 years | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 64.92 years | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 65.11 years | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 65.33 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 65.08 years | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 64.36 years | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 65.27 years | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 66.13 years | +1.3% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 66.13 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.65 years, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 66.13 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.85 years, 91% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 54.63 years | 52.14 years | 56.97 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 58.61 years | 57.39 years | 59.6 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.64 years | 59.78 years | 61.51 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.98 years | 61.61 years | 62.77 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.27 years | 63.06 years | 65.33 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.21 years | 64.36 years | 66.13 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More population data for Papua New Guinea
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.0564 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.3478 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.0564 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0669 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 14,910 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.58 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5424 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.048 (2100)
- Population density 41.16 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 1.15 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea was 66.13 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 66.13 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.14 years in 1970.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 181st out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release