Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling was 4.96 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Papua New Guinea stood at 4.96 years. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Papua New Guinea peaked at 4.96 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.39 years, in 1990.
That places Papua New Guinea 169th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.9 years | 2.39 years | 3.29 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.66 years | 3.36 years | 3.99 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.57 years | 4.08 years | 4.89 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.96 years | 4.93 years | 4.96 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 33.1% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 121.1% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 40,888 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.07 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 118.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Papua New Guinea?
- Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Papua New Guinea was 4.96 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.96 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.39 years in 1990.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 169th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.