Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) was 21.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Papua New Guinea, 1964–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Papua New Guinea stood at 21.7%.
That represents a change of up 6.0% on the previous year and down 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Papua New Guinea peaked at 46.4% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 18.6%, in 2020.
That places Papua New Guinea 142nd out of 201 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 58 years of available data.
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 24.6% | — |
| 1965 | 26.6% | +8.2% |
| 1966 | 30.5% | +14.6% |
| 1967 | 32.9% | +7.9% |
| 1968 | 34.5% | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 36.7% | +6.4% |
| 1970 | 44.1% | +20.2% |
| 1971 | 45.4% | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 35.7% | -21.3% |
| 1973 | 25.2% | -29.5% |
| 1974 | 31.6% | +25.7% |
| 1975 | 37.9% | +19.8% |
| 1980 | 39.0% | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 43.1% | +10.4% |
| 1982 | 46.4% | +7.7% |
| 1983 | 40.8% | -12.1% |
| 1984 | 35.6% | -12.8% |
| 1985 | 34.6% | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 33.6% | -3.0% |
| 1987 | 36.9% | +10.0% |
| 1988 | 38.3% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 44.6% | +16.6% |
| 1990 | 40.7% | -8.9% |
| 1991 | 38.9% | -4.3% |
| 1992 | 32.7% | -15.9% |
| 1993 | 29.1% | -11.2% |
| 1994 | 28.0% | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 31.0% | +11.0% |
| 1996 | 36.3% | +16.9% |
| 1997 | 39.0% | +7.5% |
| 1998 | 35.2% | -9.9% |
| 1999 | 35.9% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 34.9% | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 36.1% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 39.6% | +9.6% |
| 2003 | 38.2% | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 40.8% | +6.9% |
| 2005 | 41.6% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 28.2% | -32.1% |
| 2007 | 31.0% | +10.0% |
| 2008 | 30.0% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 33.4% | +11.6% |
| 2010 | 36.0% | +7.7% |
| 2011 | 40.1% | +11.3% |
| 2012 | 42.8% | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 33.0% | -22.8% |
| 2014 | 27.0% | -18.2% |
| 2015 | 25.8% | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 23.9% | -7.2% |
| 2017 | 22.4% | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 21.8% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 21.0% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 18.6% | -11.2% |
| 2021 | 19.5% | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 20.7% | +6.0% |
| 2023 | 20.5% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 20.5% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 21.7% | +6.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 21.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 28.5%, 76% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 21.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 42.4%, 51% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.9% | 24.6% | 36.7% | 6 |
| 1970s | 36.7% | 25.2% | 45.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 39.3% | 33.6% | 46.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.7% | 28.0% | 40.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.4% | 28.2% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.4% | 21.0% | 42.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.3% | 18.6% | 21.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 139 Dominican Republic 22.5% compare
- 140 Ireland 22.1% compare
- 141 Eritrea 21.7% compare
- 143 Turkey 21.6% compare
- 144 Kazakhstan 21.4% compare
- 145 San Marino 21.3% compare
More economy & growth data for Papua New Guinea
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 2.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.47 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.11 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -52.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 1.09 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -51.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 0.7945 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 40.57 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Papua New Guinea?
- Value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Papua New Guinea was 21.7% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 46.4% in 1982.
- What is the lowest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.6% in 2020.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for value of imported goods as a share of gdp?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 142nd out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is value of imported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Value of imported goods as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Value of a country’s total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, as a percentage of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP).