Refugees by country of asylum in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Refugees by country of asylum was 7,732 people in 2024. ▲ Rising
Refugees by country of asylum in Papua New Guinea, 1978–2024
Source: UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for refugees by country of asylum in Papua New Guinea is 7,732 people, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 26.5% on the previous year and down 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees by country of asylum in Papua New Guinea peaked at 11,839 people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 150 people, in 1981.
Papua New Guinea ranks 100th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Refugees by country of asylum in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 1,000 people | — |
| 1979 | 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 150 people | -85.0% |
| 1982 | 2,200 people | +1366.7% |
| 1983 | 1,230 people | -44.1% |
| 1984 | 10,950 people | +790.2% |
| 1985 | 11,750 people | +7.3% |
| 1986 | 11,290 people | -3.9% |
| 1987 | 9,620 people | -14.8% |
| 1988 | 9,241 people | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 7,732 people | -16.3% |
| 1990 | 7,099 people | -8.2% |
| 1991 | 6,098 people | -14.1% |
| 1992 | 6,686 people | +9.6% |
| 1993 | 7,670 people | +14.7% |
| 1994 | 8,461 people | +10.3% |
| 1995 | 9,600 people | +13.5% |
| 1996 | 10,175 people | +6.0% |
| 1997 | 8,198 people | -19.4% |
| 1998 | 8,198 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6,664 people | -18.7% |
| 2000 | 5,862 people | -12.0% |
| 2001 | 4,941 people | -15.7% |
| 2002 | 4,941 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7,491 people | +51.6% |
| 2004 | 7,626 people | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 10,001 people | +31.1% |
| 2006 | 10,182 people | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 10,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 10,005 people | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 9,704 people | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 9,699 people | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 9,378 people | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 9,378 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9,373 people | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 9,503 people | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 9,503 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9,529 people | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 10,018 people | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 10,022 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9,698 people | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 10,781 people | +11.2% |
| 2021 | 11,839 people | +9.8% |
| 2022 | 10,524 people | -11.1% |
| 2023 | 10,523 people | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 7,732 people | -26.5% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 7,732 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9,240 people, 84% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 7,732 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 51.5 people, 150.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees by country of asylum 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +1366.7% | 150 people | 2,200 people |
| 1984 | +790.2% | 1,230 people | 10,950 people |
| 1981 | -85.0% | 1,000 people | 150 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,000 people | 1,000 people | 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 6,516 people | 150 people | 11,750 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 7,885 people | 6,098 people | 10,175 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 8,075 people | 4,941 people | 10,182 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 9,610 people | 9,373 people | 10,022 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 10,280 people | 7,732 people | 11,839 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
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 refugees by country of asylum in Papua New Guinea?
- Refugees by country of asylum in Papua New Guinea was 7,732 people in 2024, according to UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest refugees by country of asylum recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 11,839 people in 2021.
- What is the lowest refugees by country of asylum recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 150 people in 1981.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for refugees by country of asylum?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 100th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
- Is refugees by country of asylum rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Refugees by country of asylum. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
People who fled their country of origin and are in need of international protection. Refugees are those who have already been granted asylum status in the country they moved to. This includes all refugees who live in this country, not just those who arrived that year.