Distribution of Democracy Index in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Distribution of Democracy Index was 15 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Distribution of Democracy Index in Papua New Guinea, 1975–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of democracy index in Papua New Guinea is 15, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Papua New Guinea peaked at 15 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 14, in 1975.
Papua New Guinea ranks 99th of 168 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 14 | — |
| 1976 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 15 | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 15 | +0.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 15 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15, 1.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 15 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 17.5, 86% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14 | 14 | 14 | 5 |
| 1980s | 14 | 14 | 14 | 10 |
| 1990s | 14 | 14 | 14 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14 | 14 | 14 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.78 | 14 | 15 | 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 distribution of democracy index in Papua New Guinea?
- Distribution of democracy index in Papua New Guinea was 15 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 15 in 2012.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 14 in 1975.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 99th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution 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 0 to 20 (fully democratic).