Armed forces personnel in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Armed forces personnel was 4,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Papua New Guinea, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 4,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
The figure is up 29.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Papua New Guinea peaked at 4,400 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1,900, in 2012.
Papua New Guinea ranks 149th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 3,200 | — |
| 1989 | 3,000 | -6.2% |
| 1990 | 4,000 | +33.3% |
| 1991 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3,800 | -5.0% |
| 1996 | 3,700 | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 4,300 | +16.2% |
| 1998 | 4,300 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4,300 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4,400 | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 4,400 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3,100 | -29.5% |
| 2003 | 3,100 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3,000 | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 3,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3,100 | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 3,100 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3,100 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1,900 | -38.7% |
| 2013 | 1,900 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1,900 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1,900 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3,600 | +89.5% |
| 2017 | 4,000 | +11.1% |
| 2018 | 3,600 | -10.0% |
| 2019 | 4,000 | +11.1% |
| 2020 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 4,000 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 17% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 4,000 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 3% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,100 | 3,000 | 3,200 | 2 |
| 1990s | 4,044 | 3,700 | 4,300 | 9 |
| 2000s | 3,310 | 3,000 | 4,400 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,900 | 1,900 | 4,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 148 Trinidad and Tobago 5,000 compare
- 149 Fiji 4,000 compare
- 149 Gambia 4,000 compare
- 149 Guinea-Bissau 4,000 compare
More reference data data for Papua New Guinea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2042 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.3515 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0007 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.3515 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6846 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5295 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2811 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0038 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Papua New Guinea?
- Armed forces personnel in Papua New Guinea was 4,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 4,400 in 2000.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,900 in 2012.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for armed forces personnel?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 149th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.