Number of significant volcanic eruptions in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Number of significant volcanic eruptions was 1 events in 2023. ▲ Rising
Number of significant volcanic eruptions in Papua New Guinea, 1580–2023
Source: National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in events.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 1 events for number of significant volcanic eruptions in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of significant volcanic eruptions in Papua New Guinea peaked at 3 events in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1 events, in 1580.
That places Papua New Guinea 6th out of 25 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1580s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 1 |
| 1660s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 1 |
| 1820s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 1 |
| 1850s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 2 |
| 1870s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 1 |
| 1880s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 2 |
| 1890s | 1.33 events | 1 events | 2 events | 3 |
| 1910s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 1 |
| 1930s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 1 |
| 1950s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 3 |
| 1970s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 3 |
| 1990s | 1.33 events | 1 events | 2 events | 3 |
| 2000s | 1.33 events | 1 events | 2 events | 3 |
| 2010s | 2.33 events | 1 events | 3 events | 3 |
| 2020s | 1 events | 1 events | 1 events | 1 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 3 Italy 2 events compare
- 3 Japan 2 events compare
- 3 Philippines 2 events compare
- 6 Chile 1 events compare
- 6 Colombia 1 events compare
- 6 Comoros 1 events compare
- 6 Costa Rica 1 events compare
- 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 1 events compare
- 6 Ecuador 1 events compare
- 6 Greece 1 events compare
- 6 Guatemala 1 events compare
- 6 Iceland 1 events compare
- 6 Mexico 1 events compare
- 6 New Zealand 1 events compare
- 6 Nicaragua 1 events compare
- 6 Portugal 1 events compare
- 6 Russia 1 events compare
- 6 Solomon Islands 1 events compare
- 6 Spain 1 events compare
- 6 Tanzania 1 events compare
- 6 Tonga 1 events compare
- 6 Vanuatu 1 events compare
More reference data data for Papua New Guinea
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.1159 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.0178 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.504 °C (2026)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.6022 °C (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.257 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 193.24 2010 = 100 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of significant volcanic eruptions in Papua New Guinea?
- Number of significant volcanic eruptions in Papua New Guinea was 1 events in 2023, according to National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of significant volcanic eruptions recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 3 events in 2018.
- What is the lowest number of significant volcanic eruptions recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 events in 1580.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for number of significant volcanic eruptions?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 6th out of 25 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of significant volcanic eruptions rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Number of significant volcanic eruptions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
A significant eruption is classified as one that meets at least one of the following criteria: caused fatalities, caused moderate damage (approximately $1 million or more), with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6 or larger, caused a tsunami, or was associated with a major earthquake.