Democracy Index in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Democracy Index was 5 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Democracy Index in Papua New Guinea, 1975–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy index in Papua New Guinea is 5, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
The figure is up 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Papua New Guinea peaked at 5 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 4, in 1975.
That places Papua New Guinea 98th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Democracy Index in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 4 | — |
| 1976 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2013 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 | +0.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 5 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 1.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 5 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.5, 67% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| 1980s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.78 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More social development data for Papua New Guinea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 7,727 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 644 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 644 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0007 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in Papua New Guinea?
- Democracy index in Papua New Guinea was 5 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 5 in 2012.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 in 1975.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for democracy index?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 98th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).