Cruise ship on the ocean in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea Economy

Papua New Guinea's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 31.6 billion in 2022.

Nominal GDP of USD 31.6 billion in 2022.

GDP per capita of USD 2,629 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

GDP per capita of USD 2,629 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 3.9% over the last decade.

Average real GDP growth of 3.9% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 4.5% in the decade to 2020. To read more about GDP growth in Papua New Guinea, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Papua New Guinea's fiscal deficit averaged 2.9% of GDP in the decade to 2022. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Inflation:

Inflation averaged 5.1% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Papua New Guinea inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy:

Papua New Guinea's monetary policy rate ended 2022 at 3.25%, down from 6.75% a decade earlier. See our Papua New Guinea monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate:

From end-2012 to end-2022 the kina weakened by 40% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the kina, click here.
Projections out to 2034.

33 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 3 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Papua New Guinea in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2034 on 33 economic indicators for Papua New Guinea from a panel of 3 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Papua New Guinea economy. To download a sample report on the Papua New Guinea's economy, click here. To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

Papua New Guinea Economic Data

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Population (million) 10.7 11.2 11.8 12.0 12.3
GDP (USD bn) 24.7 23.8 26.0 31.6 -
GDP per Capita (USD) 2,314 2,118 2,210 2,629 -
GDP (LCU bn) 83.8 82.5 91.6 111.2 -
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 5.6 -1.6 11.0 21.4 -
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 4.5 -3.2 -0.8 5.2 -
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -2.4 -6.2 -4.4 -2.9 -
Public Debt (% of GDP) 40.6 48.7 52.6 48.3 -
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) 2.7 5.1 5.7 3.4 3.9
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 3.9 4.9 4.5 5.3 2.3
Policy Rate (%, eop) 5.00 3.00 3.00 3.25 2.50
Exchange Rate (PGK per USD, eop) 3.41 3.51 3.51 3.52 3.78
Exchange Rate (LCU per USD, aop) 3.39 3.47 3.52 3.52 3.60
Current Account Balance (USD bn) 3.6 3.4 3.3 4.6 -
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) 14.4 14.4 12.6 14.4 -
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) 6.8 5.5 6.5 8.7 7.2
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 10.9 9.1 10.8 14.6 12.7
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 4.1 3.6 4.4 5.9 5.5
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) 4.0 -17.1 19.4 34.8 -13.3
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 17.3 -13.0 21.6 34.6 -7.0
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.5 -0.4
International Reserves (USD bn) 2.2 2.6 2.8 3.9 3.8
International Reserves (months of imports) 6.5 8.7 7.7 8.0 8.3
External Debt (USD bn) 18.7 18.0 19.7 18.7 -
External Debt (% of GDP) 75.8 75.9 75.7 59.1 -

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