Tag Archives: Papua New Guinea

According to watchtutorials, Papua New Guinea has a population of 8.3 million people, with nearly two-thirds of them living in rural areas. The population is made up of many different ethnic and tribal groups, each with its own language and culture. The main indigenous group is the Melanesian people, who make up about 95% of the population. Other groups include the Polynesian, Micronesian, Papuan and Negrito peoples. Nearly all Papua New Guineans are Christian and English is the official language. The population growth rate in Papua New Guinea has been steady at around 2% annually over the past few decades. This has resulted in a young population, with more than half of the country’s residents under 25 years old. Despite this fact, life expectancy rates remain low due to limited healthcare access and a lack of basic sanitation facilities in some rural areas. Women also face gender-based discrimination and have lower literacy rates than men due to cultural norms that prioritize male education over female education. Papua New Guinea also hosts a large number of refugees from neighboring countries such as Indonesia and East Timor; these refugees are mostly housed in camps in West Sepik province or Port Moresby city on temporary visas. The country also has significant numbers of migrant workers from other Pacific Islands countries such as Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands who come to work mainly on plantations or mines for short periods of time before returning home.