Military personnel in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Military personnel was 4,000 people in 2022. ▼ Falling
Military personnel in Papua New Guinea, 1975–2022
Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military personnel in Papua New Guinea is 4,000 people, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Papua New Guinea peaked at 9,000 people in 2006 and was at its lowest, 2,000 people, in 2014.
That places Papua New Guinea 148th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3,800 people | 3,000 people | 4,000 people | 5 |
| 1980s | 3,000 people | 3,000 people | 3,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 4,400 people | 4,000 people | 5,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,800 people | 3,000 people | 9,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,800 people | 2,000 people | 4,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,000 people | 4,000 people | 4,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More reference data data for Papua New Guinea
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.504 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.0178 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.1159 °C (2026)
- Free country 1 (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.6022 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.257 °C (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 3 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Papua New Guinea?
- Military personnel in Papua New Guinea was 4,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 9,000 people in 2006.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,000 people in 2014.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for military personnel?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 148th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.