Years of schooling in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Years of schooling was 4.96 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Years of schooling in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for years of schooling in Papua New Guinea is 4.96, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, years of schooling in Papua New Guinea peaked at 4.96 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.39, 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.
Years of schooling in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.39 | — |
| 1991 | 2.52 | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 2.64 | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 2.77 | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 2.89 | +4.5% |
| 1995 | 3.01 | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 3.08 | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 3.15 | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 3.22 | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 3.29 | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 3.36 | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 3.42 | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 3.48 | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 3.54 | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 3.6 | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 3.66 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 3.75 | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 3.83 | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 3.91 | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 3.99 | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 4.08 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 4.21 | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 4.34 | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 4.47 | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 4.6 | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 4.73 | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 4.77 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 4.81 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 4.85 | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 4.89 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 4.93 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 4.96 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 4.96 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4.96 | +0.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 4.96 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.79, 73% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 4.96 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.43, 53% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.9 | 2.39 | 3.29 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.66 | 3.36 | 3.99 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.57 | 4.08 | 4.89 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.96 | 4.93 | 4.96 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 96.03 (2020)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 96 (2021)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is years of schooling in Papua New Guinea?
- Years of schooling in Papua New Guinea was 4.96 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest years of schooling recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.96 in 2021.
- What is the lowest years of schooling recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.39 in 1990.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for years of schooling?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 169th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).