MigrantoMigration trends in Papua New Guinea
Oceania
35.1K people from Papua New Guinea have built lives abroad. That's 0.3% of the country population, spread across 18 different countries
10.6M
Population
30K
Immigrants
35.1K
Emigrants
−5K
Outflow
0.3% of people born in Papua New Guinea now live abroad
The #172 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Top corridors
The largest migration routes in Papua New Guinea
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
32K immigrants · 26.1K emigrants
2000
- The country became a place of departure — more people leaving than arriving
- Immigration contracted — the foreign-born population fell 21%
2005
- The country became a destination — more people arriving than leaving
2010
- Indonesia overtook Australia as the largest source of new arrivals
- The country became a place of departure — more people leaving than arriving
2015
- The outflow deepened — net losses doubled to 4.5K
Today
- Since 1990: roughly the same number of foreign-born residents and roughly the same number of citizens living abroad
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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