Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is a diverse and complex nation located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous surrounding islands. As one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse countries in...
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With a safety index of 19/100, Papua New Guinea offers below average safety conditions for expats and their families.
All foreign nationals require an entry permit to visit Papua New Guinea, but many nationalities, including US, Canada, Australia, UK, and most EU citizens, can obtain a tourist visa (up to 60 days, extendable by 30 days) or single-entry business visa (up to 30 days) on arrival at Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby or other authorized ports like Wutung land border.[1][4] Passport holders from eligible countries—such as Canada, China (diplomatic/service passports), Pacific Island states (Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia), and others...
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Near EU average
70% below EU avg
79% below EU avg
69% below EU avg
Baselines based on EU averages. Source: Numbeo indices.
Capital
Port Moresby
Timezone
UTC+10:00
Area
462,840 km²
Population
8,947,027
Papua New Guinea shows a purchasing power index of 22/100, indicating below average economic conditions for expats.
GDP
$30.63B
HDI
0.6
Quality of Life
14/100
-29 vs NYC
Purchasing Power
9/100
-33 vs NYC
Understanding the economic landscape is essential for evaluating living costs and opportunities in Papua New Guinea. This comprehensive overview covers key financial indicators including cost of living, housing markets, income levels, and fiscal policies that shape daily life and long-term financial planning.
Cost of Living Index
Very affordable costs (CPI: 47.3). Groceries index at 54.3 and restaurant prices at 35.1 are significantly lower than developed nations, making daily expenses manageable.
Housing Market
Severely unaffordable housing (property-to-income ratio: 40.7 years). Rent index of 27.5 is low, but property ownership requires decades of income, indicating extreme affordability challenges.
Average Income Levels
Very low purchasing power (index: 21.4). Incomes are significantly constrained with limited buying capacity relative to developed economies, reflecting the country's low development status.
Tax System
PNG operates a progressive income tax system with rates up to 42% on higher earners. Tax administration faces challenges due to informal economy dominance and limited revenue collection capacity.
Business Environment
Challenging business environment with significant governance and infrastructure constraints. Poor regulatory clarity, limited skilled labor, and inadequate infrastructure hinder business development despite resource sector opportunities.
Social Security
Underdeveloped social safety net with limited healthcare access and minimal pension coverage. Majority of population lives below poverty line with weak social protections and reliance on subsistence agriculture.
Papua New Guinea features a predominantly tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) with high humidity, consistent warmth, and abundant rainfall year-round, making it one of the wettest countries globally. Lowlands maintain steady temperatures between 23-32°C, while highlands are cooler at 18-22°C with occasional night frosts above 2100m.
4 distinct climate regions — see full guide for details
Read full guideLife Expectancy
65.5
Population
8,947,027
Religions
Currently under research
Ethnic Composition
Research in Progress
We're currently analyzing expat perspectives for Papua New Guinea. Check back soon for insights from real experiences!
We're gradually rolling out this feature and continuously improving the insights. The data is based on real expat discussions and will become more comprehensive over time.
Papua New Guinea operates as a constitutional monarchy within the Westminster parliamentary system, with a 118-seat unicameral National Parliament. No single party has ever won a majority, requiring coalition governments to form. The current Prime Minister James Marape has been in office since May 2019 and is exploring constitutional reforms to strengthen executive governance.
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Population
8,947,027
Currency
PGK
Timezone
UTC+10:00
Calling Code
+675
Week starts on
Monday
Gini Coefficient
41.9 (2009)
Traffic side
left side
Data Source: Safety, crime, and quality metrics are sourced from Numbeo, a crowd-sourced global database of reported data.
All scores are relative comparisons on a 0-100 scale, where 50 = global average. Higher scores mean better than average, lower scores mean worse than average.