MigrantoMigration trends in Papua New Guinea
Oceania
Papua New Guinea loses more people than it takes in: 35.1K emigrants against 30K immigrants. Net balance −5K — 0% of the country's population
10.6M
Population
30K
Immigrants
35.1K
Emigrants
−5K
Outflow
1 in 352 residents of Papua New Guinea was born abroad — and 1 in 303 people born in Papua New Guinea lives abroad
#172 in the world by net migration loss
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in Papua New Guinea
Where people move to
Where people come from
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 emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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