Deaths from tsunamis in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Deaths from tsunamis was 3 deaths in 2017. ◆ Volatile
Deaths from tsunamis in Papua New Guinea, 1878–2017
Source: National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for deaths from tsunamis in Papua New Guinea is 3 deaths, measured in 2017.
That represents a change of down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deaths from tsunamis in Papua New Guinea peaked at 1,636 deaths in 1998 and was at its lowest, 1 deaths, in 1878.
That places Papua New Guinea 8th out of 20 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Deaths from tsunamis in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1878 | 1 deaths | — |
| 1930 | 27 deaths | +2600.0% |
| 1937 | 507 deaths | +1777.8% |
| 1941 | 4 deaths | -99.2% |
| 1970 | 18 deaths | +350.0% |
| 1971 | 3 deaths | -83.3% |
| 1987 | 3 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4 deaths | +33.3% |
| 1998 | 1,636 deaths | +40800.0% |
| 1999 | 1 deaths | -99.9% |
| 2000 | 2 deaths | +100.0% |
| 2002 | 4 deaths | +100.0% |
| 2017 | 3 deaths | -25.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 3 deaths is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.5 deaths, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Deaths from tsunamis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +40800.0% | 4 deaths | 1,636 deaths |
| 1930 | +2600.0% | 1 deaths | 27 deaths |
| 1937 | +1777.8% | 27 deaths | 507 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 1 deaths | 1 deaths | 1 deaths | 1 |
| 1930s | 267 deaths | 27 deaths | 507 deaths | 2 |
| 1940s | 4 deaths | 4 deaths | 4 deaths | 1 |
| 1970s | 10.5 deaths | 3 deaths | 18 deaths | 2 |
| 1980s | 3 deaths | 3 deaths | 3 deaths | 1 |
| 1990s | 547 deaths | 1 deaths | 1,636 deaths | 3 |
| 2000s | 3 deaths | 2 deaths | 4 deaths | 2 |
| 2010s | 3 deaths | 3 deaths | 3 deaths | 1 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More health data for Papua New Guinea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.77 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.3741 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,127 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,501 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2023)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.27 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0555 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.2621 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is deaths from tsunamis in Papua New Guinea?
- Deaths from tsunamis in Papua New Guinea was 3 deaths in 2017, according to National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deaths from tsunamis recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 1,636 deaths in 1998.
- What is the lowest deaths from tsunamis recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 deaths in 1878.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for deaths from tsunamis?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 8th out of 20 countries with data for 2017.
- Is deaths from tsunamis rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Deaths from tsunamis. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Due to data availability, recent data will be more complete than older historical estimates.