Life expectancy at birth in Papua New Guinea
In 2025, life expectancy at birth in Papua New Guinea was 66.4 years, up from 66.3 years in 2024. This gives Papua New Guinea the 205th-highest globally (out of 236 economies with available data).
Life expectancy at birth
Average years of life
Papua New Guinea
How Papua New Guinea compares
About this indicator
Life expectancy at birth represents the average number of years a newborn is expected to live, assuming that current mortality conditions remain the same throughout their life. Because we cannot know future death rates in advance, this indicator uses a "snapshot" of today’s conditions to estimate lifespan. If healthcare and living standards continue to improve over time, actual lifespans will likely be higher than this current estimate.
As a key measure of population well-being, life expectancy reflects a country’s overall quality of life, including access to healthcare, lifestyle trends, and socioeconomic stability. While rising life expectancy is a sign of social progress, it also contributes to an aging population, requiring sustainable social security systems and healthcare infrastructure to support a larger elderly cohort.
As a key measure of population well-being, life expectancy reflects a country’s overall quality of life, including access to healthcare, lifestyle trends, and socioeconomic stability. While rising life expectancy is a sign of social progress, it also contributes to an aging population, requiring sustainable social security systems and healthcare infrastructure to support a larger elderly cohort.
Sources and updates
Data sources
The data for this indicator are drawn from the United Nations World Population Prospects.
Last update
This indicator was last updated on Econorama on 18 June 2026 and reflects the latest data available from the underlying sources at that time.
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Current spending on healthcare goods and services
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Share of adults aged 18+ with BMI ≥ 30
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Share of the population aged 15+ who smoke
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Liters of pure alcohol consumed per adult (15+)
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Life expectancy at birth: males
Average years of life for males
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Life expectancy at birth: females
Average years of life for females
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Number of medical doctors per 10,000 inhabitants
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Population & Demographics
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Government debt (% of GDP)
Gross debt of the general government
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Gross debt of the general government, in current international dollars
Rank159th of 191
Government budget balance (% of GDP)
Positive values indicate a surplus; negative values indicate a deficit
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