Life Expectancy in Papua New Guinea (2024): Men 63.8, Women 69.2

Life expectancy in Papua New Guinea since 1960

Women
Men

Since 1960, life expectancy in Papua New Guinea has risen by 20.5 years, from 45.8 to 66.3. During the COVID-19 pandemic it fell by 0.9 years (from 65.3 in 2019 to 64.4 in 2021) and has since recovered. Women live 5.4 years longer than men (69.2 vs 63.8).

Expected age at death in Papua New Guinea by age

Life expectancy at birth includes deaths in childhood. Once people reach adulthood they can expect to live longer — here is the average expected age at death for people who have already reached each age:

Current age	Birth	20	40	60	80
Men	63.8	66.9	68.2	72.1	83.0
Women	69.2	72.5	73.5	76.3	84.8

Birth: World Bank. Other ages: our survival model calibrated to Papua New Guinea’s figures (method).

How people die in Papua New Guinea

Chronic diseases: 56.4%
Infections, maternal & nutritional: 34.9%
Injuries: 8.7%

In 2019, 56% of deaths in Papua New Guinea were caused by chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes (world: 74%). A Papua New Guinea man has a 28% chance and a woman 29% of dying of one of these diseases between the ages of 30 and 70 (world: 21% and 16%). Road traffic accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 each year (world: 16.7).

See which causes of death are most likely for you →

Child mortality

Out of every 1,000 babies born in Papua New Guinea, about 39.4 die before their fifth birthday (world: 37.4). This is one of the main reasons life expectancy at birth differs so much between countries.

Papua New Guinea compared with its region

Papua New Guinea is in the World Bank’s East Asia & Pacific region, where the average life expectancy is 74.1 years. It ranks #36 of 37 countries there.

#	Country	Overall	Men	Women
29	Timor-Leste	67.9	66.3	69.7
30	Fiji	67.5	65.5	69.5
31	Micronesia	67.4	63.6	71.3
32	Tuvalu	67.3	63.9	70.9
33	Marshall Islands	67.1	65.0	69.5
34	Myanmar	67.1	64.0	70.4
35	Kiribati	66.6	64.7	68.3
36	Papua New Guinea	66.3	63.8	69.2
37	Naoero	62.3	60.4	64.2

See all 217 countries ranked →

Frequently asked questions

What is the life expectancy in Papua New Guinea?

66.3 years in 2024: 63.8 for men and 69.2 for women, according to the World Bank.

Do women live longer than men in Papua New Guinea?

Yes. Women in Papua New Guinea live about 5.4 years longer than men. Worldwide the gap is 4.9 years in favour of women.

How does Papua New Guinea rank for life expectancy?

Papua New Guinea ranks #184 out of 217 countries and territories with data. That is 7.2 years below the world average of 73.5.

What is the average age of death in Papua New Guinea?

Life expectancy at birth (66.3) is pulled down by deaths in childhood. Adults live longer: a 40-year-old man in Papua New Guinea can expect to live to about 68.2, and a 40-year-old woman to about 73.5.

Sources

World Bank, World Development Indicators: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.MA.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.FE.IN), under-5 mortality (SH.DYN.MORT), causes of death (SH.DTH.NCOM.ZS, SH.DTH.INJR.ZS), mortality from major chronic diseases (SH.DYN.NCOM.MA.ZS, SH.DYN.NCOM.FE.ZS) and road traffic deaths (SH.STA.TRAF.P5). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Link

Data updated October 25, 2026.