Life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: Life expectancy at birth, total was 66.26 years in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
66.26 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
185th
of 217 countries
All-time high
66.26 years
in 2024
All-time low
45.8 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea, 1960–2024

0204060196019922024

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea is 66.26 years, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea peaked at 66.26 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 45.8 years, in 1960.

Papua New Guinea ranks 185th of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.

Life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea, year by year

Annual values for Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in Papua New Guinea, 1960 to 2024.
Year years Change
1960 45.8 years
1961 46.42 years +1.4%
1962 46.71 years +0.6%
1963 47.67 years +2.1%
1964 48.3 years +1.3%
1965 48.93 years +1.3%
1966 49.57 years +1.3%
1967 50.25 years +1.4%
1968 50.88 years +1.3%
1969 51.52 years +1.3%
1970 52.14 years +1.2%
1971 52.59 years +0.9%
1972 53.25 years +1.2%
1973 53.85 years +1.1%
1974 54.44 years +1.1%
1975 54.98 years +1.0%
1976 55.53 years +1.0%
1977 56.05 years +0.9%
1978 56.52 years +0.8%
1979 56.97 years +0.8%
1980 57.39 years +0.7%
1981 57.76 years +0.6%
1982 58.08 years +0.5%
1983 58.29 years +0.4%
1984 58.58 years +0.5%
1985 58.8 years +0.4%
1986 59.02 years +0.4%
1987 59.23 years +0.4%
1988 59.38 years +0.3%
1989 59.6 years +0.4%
1990 59.78 years +0.3%
1991 59.94 years +0.3%
1992 60.26 years +0.5%
1993 60.47 years +0.3%
1994 60.73 years +0.4%
1995 60.93 years +0.3%
1996 61.07 years +0.2%
1997 61.27 years +0.3%
1998 60.44 years -1.4%
1999 61.51 years +1.8%
2000 61.61 years +0.2%
2001 61.65 years +0.1%
2002 61.64 years -0.0%
2003 61.74 years +0.2%
2004 61.8 years +0.1%
2005 61.87 years +0.1%
2006 62.02 years +0.2%
2007 62.21 years +0.3%
2008 62.51 years +0.5%
2009 62.77 years +0.4%
2010 63.06 years +0.5%
2011 63.38 years +0.5%
2012 63.64 years +0.4%
2013 63.93 years +0.5%
2014 64.2 years +0.4%
2015 64.47 years +0.4%
2016 64.7 years +0.4%
2017 64.92 years +0.3%
2018 65.11 years +0.3%
2019 65.33 years +0.3%
2020 65.08 years -0.4%
2021 64.36 years -1.1%
2022 65.27 years +1.4%
2023 66.13 years +1.3%
2024 66.26 years +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 48.61 years 45.8 years 51.52 years 10
1970s 54.63 years 52.14 years 56.97 years 10
1980s 58.61 years 57.39 years 59.6 years 10
1990s 60.64 years 59.78 years 61.51 years 10
2000s 61.98 years 61.61 years 62.77 years 10
2010s 64.27 years 63.06 years 65.33 years 10
2020s 65.42 years 64.36 years 66.26 years 5

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

  1. 182 Sudan 66.52 years compare
  2. 183 South Africa 66.31 years compare
  3. 184 Afghanistan 66.29 years compare
  4. 186 Djibouti 66.2 years compare
  5. 187 Gambia 66.06 years compare
  6. 188 Congo 66 years compare

See the full ranking of 265 places →

More health data for Papua New Guinea

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea?
Life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea was 66.26 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The highest recorded value was 66.26 years in 2024.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The lowest recorded value was 45.8 years in 1960.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
Papua New Guinea ranks 185th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy at birth, total in Papua New Guinea. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years/papua-new-guinea/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
Unit
years
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
265 places, 17,191 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.