Number of people using the Internet in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Number of people using the Internet was 1.99 million people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Number of people using the Internet in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi. Measured in people.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 1.99 million people for number of people using the internet in 2024. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 259.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people using the internet in Papua New Guinea peaked at 1.99 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1990.
That places Papua New Guinea 133rd out of 208 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people using the Internet in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0 people | — |
| 1996 | 99.64 people | — |
| 1997 | 5,038 people | +4956.1% |
| 1998 | 12,141 people | +141.0% |
| 1999 | 35,680 people | +193.9% |
| 2000 | 46,248 people | +29.6% |
| 2001 | 51,791 people | +12.0% |
| 2002 | 78,295 people | +51.2% |
| 2003 | 84,168 people | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 95,421 people | +13.4% |
| 2005 | 112,169 people | +17.6% |
| 2006 | 118,388 people | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 124,686 people | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 82,604 people | -33.7% |
| 2009 | 119,244 people | +44.4% |
| 2010 | 97,709 people | -18.1% |
| 2011 | 157,187 people | +60.9% |
| 2012 | 282,849 people | +79.9% |
| 2013 | 423,438 people | +49.7% |
| 2014 | 554,024 people | +30.8% |
| 2015 | 690,716 people | +24.7% |
| 2016 | 860,459 people | +24.6% |
| 2017 | 1.03 million people | +19.6% |
| 2018 | 1.16 million people | +12.8% |
| 2019 | 1.31 million people | +12.8% |
| 2020 | 1.47 million people | +12.6% |
| 2021 | 1.66 million people | +12.5% |
| 2022 | 1.86 million people | +12.3% |
| 2023 | 1.93 million people | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 1.99 million people | +3.2% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 1.99 million people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.91 million people, 34% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 1.99 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 693,850 people, 2.9× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of people using the Internet in Papua New Guinea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +4956.1% | 99.64 people | 5,038 people |
| 1999 | +193.9% | 12,141 people | 35,680 people |
| 1998 | +141.0% | 5,038 people | 12,141 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10,592 people | 0 people | 35,680 people | 5 |
| 2000s | 91,302 people | 46,248 people | 124,686 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 656,535 people | 97,709 people | 1.31 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.78 million people | 1.47 million people | 1.99 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More science & technology data for Papua New Guinea
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 38.77 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.3877 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 4.10 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 7.81 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 13.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 15.87 % change on previous year (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 31 (2022)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 31 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people using the internet in Papua New Guinea?
- Number of people using the internet in Papua New Guinea was 1.99 million people in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi.
- What is the highest number of people using the internet recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.99 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest number of people using the internet recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1990.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for number of people using the internet?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 133rd out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of people using the internet rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 259.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi, published as part of Number of people using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of people who used the Internet in the last three months.