Primary education, teachers in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: Primary education, teachers was 40,888 in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
40,888
World rank
94th
of 204 countries
All-time high
40,888
in 2023
All-time low
6,439
in 1970
Years of data
26
1970–2023

Primary education, teachers in Papua New Guinea, 1970–2023

10.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k1970199620231970: 6.4k1971: 6.7k1972: 7.4k1973: 7.4k1974: 7.5k1975: 7.5k1976: 8.1k1977: 8.6k1978: 8.6k1979: 9.3k1981: 9.9k1982: 10.2k1984: 11.2k1986: 12.3k1987: 12.3k1988: 12.5k1989: 13.2k1990: 13.1k1991: 13.4k1992: 14.1k1993: 14.4k1994: 15.3k2000: 15.8k2001: 14.4k2016: 35.9k2023: 40.9k

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

Papua New Guinea recorded 40,888 for primary education, teachers in 2023. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

That represents a change of up 13.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, teachers in Papua New Guinea peaked at 40,888 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6,439, in 1970.

Papua New Guinea ranks 94th of 204 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Primary education, teachers in Papua New Guinea, year by year

Annual values for Primary education, teachers in Papua New Guinea, 1970 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1970 6,439 —
1971 6,738 +4.6%
1972 7,381 +9.5%
1973 7,438 +0.8%
1974 7,545 +1.4%
1975 7,544 -0.0%
1976 8,067 +6.9%
1977 8,568 +6.2%
1978 8,590 +0.3%
1979 9,312 +8.4%
1981 9,935 +6.7%
1982 10,163 +2.3%
1984 11,184 +10.0%
1986 12,318 +10.1%
1987 12,294 -0.2%
1988 12,527 +1.9%
1989 13,171 +5.1%
1990 13,105 -0.5%
1991 13,417 +2.4%
1992 14,117 +5.2%
1993 14,378 +1.8%
1994 15,298 +6.4%
2000 15,798 +3.3%
2001 14,390 -8.9%
2016 35,896 +149.5%
2023 40,888 +13.9%

Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries

  • Papua New Guinea's 40,888 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 46,016, 89% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Papua New Guinea's 40,888 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7,144, 5.7× the median. (35 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Primary education, teachers in Papua New Guinea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2016 +149.5% 14,390 35,896

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 7,762 6,439 9,312 10
1980s 11,656 9,935 13,171 7
1990s 14,063 13,105 15,298 5
2000s 15,094 14,390 15,798 2
2010s 35,896 35,896 35,896 1
2020s 40,888 40,888 40,888 1

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

  1. 91 Libya 42,696 compare
  2. 92 Ireland 42,162 compare
  3. 93 Denmark 42,105 compare
  4. 95 United Arab Emirates 39,735 compare
  5. 96 Azerbaijan 38,731 compare
  6. 97 Tajikistan 37,890 compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

More education data for Papua New Guinea

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, teachers in Papua New Guinea?
Primary education, teachers in Papua New Guinea was 40,888 in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, teachers recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The highest recorded value was 40,888 in 2023.
What is the lowest primary education, teachers recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The lowest recorded value was 6,439 in 1970.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for primary education, teachers?
Papua New Guinea ranks 94th out of 204 countries with data for 2023.
Is primary education, teachers rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Primary education, teachers in Papua New Guinea. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/primary-education-teachers/papua-new-guinea/

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About this data

Indicator
Primary education, teachers
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
249 places, 9,469 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.