Labor force, female in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Labor force, female was 1.79 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, female in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2025
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, female in Papua New Guinea stood at 1.79 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 35.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in Papua New Guinea peaked at 1.79 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 513,070, in 1990.
Papua New Guinea ranks 90th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force, female in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 513,070 | — |
| 1991 | 529,396 | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 547,723 | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 566,186 | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 589,813 | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 618,091 | +4.8% |
| 1996 | 642,639 | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 673,284 | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 705,084 | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 734,883 | +4.2% |
| 2000 | 768,191 | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 800,745 | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 834,051 | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 866,831 | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 900,223 | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 931,472 | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 963,740 | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 994,809 | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 1.03 million | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 1.07 million | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 1.10 million | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 1.15 million | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 1.19 million | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 1.23 million | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 1.27 million | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 1.32 million | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 1.36 million | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 1.41 million | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 1.47 million | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 1.52 million | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 1.55 million | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 1.62 million | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 1.66 million | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 1.70 million | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 1.74 million | +2.5% |
| 2025 | 1.79 million | +2.6% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 1.79 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.10 million, 85% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 1.79 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.70 million, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 612,017 | 513,070 | 734,883 | 10 |
| 2000s | 916,000 | 768,191 | 1.07 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.30 million | 1.10 million | 1.52 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.68 million | 1.55 million | 1.79 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More gender data for Papua New Guinea
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 3,665 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.4371 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 8,006 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 8,006 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.07 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 120,773 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 129,292 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 119,621 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 128,016 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 119,145 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, female in Papua New Guinea?
- Labor force, female in Papua New Guinea was 1.79 million in 2025, according to World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.
- What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.79 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 513,070 in 1990.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for labor force, female?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 90th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division, published as part of Labor force, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Female labor force comprises women ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.