Central government spending as share of GDP in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Central government spending as share of GDP was 20.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Central government spending as share of GDP in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for central government spending as share of gdp in Papua New Guinea is 20.3%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4.5% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government spending as share of gdp in Papua New Guinea peaked at 31.2% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 16.6%, in 2017.
Papua New Guinea ranks 107th of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Central government spending as share of GDP in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 31.2% | — |
| 1991 | 30.0% | -3.7% |
| 1992 | 29.1% | -3.2% |
| 1993 | 30.0% | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 27.0% | -9.9% |
| 1995 | 24.5% | -9.2% |
| 1996 | 25.8% | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 27.3% | +5.8% |
| 1998 | 24.1% | -11.7% |
| 1999 | 29.3% | +21.8% |
| 2000 | 30.0% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 26.9% | -10.4% |
| 2002 | 22.1% | -17.9% |
| 2014 | 21.8% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 20.2% | -7.0% |
| 2016 | 18.4% | -9.1% |
| 2017 | 16.6% | -9.8% |
| 2018 | 18.3% | +10.4% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 20.9% | +9.2% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 19.4% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 20.3% | +4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.8% | 24.1% | 31.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.4% | 22.1% | 30.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 19.1% | 16.6% | 21.8% | 6 |
| 2020s | 20.1% | 19.4% | 20.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More economy & growth data for Papua New Guinea
- 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)
- Services, value added (constant LCU), per capita 3,072 constant LCU per person (2024)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 6.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 0.2146 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9552 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 2,782 current US$ per person (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 7.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 3.68 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 10,718 current LCU per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government spending as share of gdp in Papua New Guinea?
- Central government spending as share of gdp in Papua New Guinea was 20.3% in 2023, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest central government spending as share of gdp recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 31.2% in 1990.
- What is the lowest central government spending as share of gdp recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.6% in 2017.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for central government spending as share of gdp?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 107th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
- Is central government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. 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 (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Central government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Central government expense (cash payments for operating activities of the government in providing goods and services), as share of GDP. It excludes capital investment, such as infrastructure or equipment.