Freedom in Papua New Guinea
Where Papua New Guinea sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Papua New Guinea has a figure for 54 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.839 | 2025 | 44 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.879 | 2025 | 28 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.805 | 2025 | 67 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.782 | 2025 | 83 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.504 | 2025 | 110 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.849 | 2025 | 34 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 1.024 | 2025 | 60 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 0.623 | 2025 | 78 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 1.123 | 2025 | 45 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 101 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 60.0 | 2023 | 136 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 0.000 | 2023 | 159 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 125 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 0.000 | 2025 | 129 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 39.0 | 2025 | 68 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 22.0 | 2025 | 85 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 15.5% | 2024 | 33 of 83 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | 20.3% | 2023 | 24 of 79 |
| Regulatory quality | 45.4 | 2024 | 113 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $4,456 | 2025 | 127 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 5.6% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 4.4% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 2.6% | 2025 | 22 of 163 |
| Government debt | 52.0% | 2024 | — |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 18.8% | 2024 | 146 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 0.2 | 2024 | 126 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 38.8 | 2024 | 134 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.467 | 2025 | 86 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.384 | 2025 | 72 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.511 | 2025 | 87 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.863 | 2025 | 35 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.790 | 2025 | 51 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.684 | 2025 | 107 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.604 | 2025 | 110 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.480 | 2025 | 142 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 51.1 | 2024 | 86 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 31.7 | 2024 | 120 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 33.8 | 2024 | 139 of 169 |
| Political stability | 54.7 | 2024 | 121 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.576 | 2023 | 132 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 66.3 | 2024 | 139 of 170 |
| Government spending on education | 0.8% | 2023 | — |
| Health spending | 2.9% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 8.6% | 2023 | 12 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 189.0 | 2023 | 130 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 2.7% | 2025 | 153 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 50.8% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 3.07 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 15.8% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 4.8 | 2024 | 54 of 168 |
| Population | 10.8M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 0.52 | 2024 | 33 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 54.5% | 2021 | 43 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 43.3% | 2024 | 157 of 169 |
What is missing
6 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Papua New Guinea in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Papua New Guinea, not a zero. Who publishes what