Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 3.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Papua New Guinea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 3.0% for unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Papua New Guinea peaked at 3.9% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2010.
That places Papua New Guinea 138th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.7% | — |
| 1992 | 3.5% | -6.8% |
| 1993 | 3.1% | -8.8% |
| 1994 | 3.2% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 3.5% | +7.9% |
| 1996 | 3.6% | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 3.8% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 3.8% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 3.9% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 3.9% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 3.7% | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 3.7% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 3.5% | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 3.4% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 2.9% | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 3.7% | +38.5% |
| 2012 | 3.7% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | -7.5% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 3.3% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | +9.7% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | -14.1% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 3.0% | -2.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 3.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.3%, 70% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 3.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.3%, 90% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +38.5% | 2.7% | 3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.6% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 2.8% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.4% | 2.7% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 135 Dominican Republic 3.2% compare
- 136 Cameroon 3.2% compare
- 137 El Salvador 3.1% compare
- 139 Slovenia 3.0% compare
- 140 Malta 2.9% compare
- 141 Trinidad and Tobago 2.9% compare
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14,791 (2016)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 80,915 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 226,545 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 208,353 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 655,030 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.65 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 10.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1593 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Papua New Guinea?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Papua New Guinea was 3.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 1999.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2010.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 138th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.