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 167 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.

Distribution of Democracy Index in Papua New Guinea

Name: Distribution of Democracy Index in Papua New Guinea
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Papua New Guinea: Distribution of Democracy Index was 15 in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

99th

of 167 countries

All-time high

in 2012

All-time low

in 1975

Years of data

1975–2018

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 167 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.

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

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More social development data for Papua New Guinea

Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 7,727 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 644 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.467 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.839 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.879 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.467 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.28 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.384 (2025)

All data for Papua New Guinea →

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 167 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

Indicator: Distribution of Democracy Index
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 18,366 data points, 1800–2018
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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).