Military spending in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Military spending was 116.43 million constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
116.43 million constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
146th
of 172 countries
All-time high
135.87 million constant 2022 US$
in 1994
All-time low
30.22 million constant 2022 US$
in 2003
Years of data
49
1975–2023
Military spending in Papua New Guinea, 1975–2023
Source: Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.
Analysis
In 2023, military spending in Papua New Guinea stood at 116.43 million constant 2022 US$.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 19.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending in Papua New Guinea peaked at 135.87 million constant 2022 US$ in 1994 and was at its lowest, 30.22 million constant 2022 US$, in 2003.
That places Papua New Guinea 146th out of 172 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Military spending in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | constant 2022 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 46.72 million constant 2022 US$ | — |
| 1976 | 78.54 million constant 2022 US$ | +68.1% |
| 1977 | 76.82 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 79.68 million constant 2022 US$ | +3.7% |
| 1979 | 82.86 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 80.84 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.4% |
| 1981 | 81.85 million constant 2022 US$ | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 80.06 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 75.06 million constant 2022 US$ | -6.2% |
| 1984 | 79.42 million constant 2022 US$ | +5.8% |
| 1985 | 79.65 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 84.82 million constant 2022 US$ | +6.5% |
| 1987 | 84.37 million constant 2022 US$ | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 81.90 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 89.04 million constant 2022 US$ | +8.7% |
| 1990 | 100.22 million constant 2022 US$ | +12.6% |
| 1991 | 96.80 million constant 2022 US$ | -3.4% |
| 1992 | 115.97 million constant 2022 US$ | +19.8% |
| 1993 | 127.38 million constant 2022 US$ | +9.8% |
| 1994 | 135.87 million constant 2022 US$ | +6.7% |
| 1995 | 125.55 million constant 2022 US$ | -7.6% |
| 1996 | 116.67 million constant 2022 US$ | -7.1% |
| 1997 | 108.29 million constant 2022 US$ | -7.2% |
| 1998 | 85.65 million constant 2022 US$ | -20.9% |
| 1999 | 68.90 million constant 2022 US$ | -19.5% |
| 2000 | 55.70 million constant 2022 US$ | -19.2% |
| 2001 | 43.66 million constant 2022 US$ | -21.6% |
| 2002 | 30.69 million constant 2022 US$ | -29.7% |
| 2003 | 30.22 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 34.78 million constant 2022 US$ | +15.1% |
| 2005 | 37.71 million constant 2022 US$ | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 41.67 million constant 2022 US$ | +10.5% |
| 2007 | 44.96 million constant 2022 US$ | +7.9% |
| 2008 | 48.33 million constant 2022 US$ | +7.5% |
| 2009 | 54.06 million constant 2022 US$ | +11.9% |
| 2010 | 57.89 million constant 2022 US$ | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 81.50 million constant 2022 US$ | +40.8% |
| 2012 | 98.62 million constant 2022 US$ | +21.0% |
| 2013 | 97.62 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 112.13 million constant 2022 US$ | +14.9% |
| 2015 | 110.07 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 98.56 million constant 2022 US$ | -10.5% |
| 2017 | 96.55 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 91.09 million constant 2022 US$ | -5.7% |
| 2019 | 104.88 million constant 2022 US$ | +15.1% |
| 2020 | 110.33 million constant 2022 US$ | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 108.06 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 115.76 million constant 2022 US$ | +7.1% |
| 2023 | 116.43 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.6% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 116.43 million constant 2022 US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 485.52 million constant 2022 US$, 24% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 116.43 million constant 2022 US$ is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.15 billion constant 2022 US$, 3% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military spending in Papua New Guinea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +68.1% | 46.72 million constant 2022 US$ | 78.54 million constant 2022 US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 72.93 million constant 2022 US$ | 46.72 million constant 2022 US$ | 82.86 million constant 2022 US$ | 5 |
| 1980s | 81.70 million constant 2022 US$ | 75.06 million constant 2022 US$ | 89.04 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 108.13 million constant 2022 US$ | 68.90 million constant 2022 US$ | 135.87 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.18 million constant 2022 US$ | 30.22 million constant 2022 US$ | 55.70 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.89 million constant 2022 US$ | 57.89 million constant 2022 US$ | 112.13 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 112.65 million constant 2022 US$ | 108.06 million constant 2022 US$ | 116.43 million constant 2022 US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 143 Montenegro 120.89 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 144 Malta 118.50 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 145 Bahamas 118.22 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 147 Nicaragua 110.71 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 148 Guyana 106.79 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 149 Eritrea 96.47 million constant 2022 US$ 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 military spending in Papua New Guinea?
- Military spending in Papua New Guinea was 116.43 million constant 2022 US$ in 2023, according to Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 135.87 million constant 2022 US$ in 1994.
- What is the lowest military spending recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.22 million constant 2022 US$ in 2003.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for military spending?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 146th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
- Is military spending rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.