Some PNG Statistics

These are some interesting statistics that our friend Joy posted on her blog ( www.joyellen.wordpress.com).


From the Australian Council for International Development 2006

1. Life expectancy for Papua New Guineans is only 53 years in rural areas and 60 in urban centers.
2. 6 treatable diseases (pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea, tuberculosis, measles and anemia) contribute to 40% or more of deaths for those under 45 years.
3. 31 percent of all people 15 years or over have no cash income earning activity.
4. Approximately 50,000 young people leave school each year; the formal education system only able to reabsorb a very small portion of these.
5. Population growth is high and predicted to double by 2026.
6. Only 56% of females aged 15 years or over are literate. Results from recent PNG literacy task force are now finding that this is much lower. “At best we probably only have an overall functional national literacy rate of 30 percent according to our early findings” (Jonduo, 2007).
7. Approximately 33 infants die each day, the majority from preventable causes.
8. In 1999, only 39% of health facilities were in satisfactory condition and less than 70% of rural aid posts were operating. It is believed that conditions have since further deteriorated.
9. Approximately 58% of the population does not have access to safe drinking water despite the fact that PNG has one of the world’s highest stocks of fresh water.
10. 85% of the people live in rural areas with many areas inaccessible and only 4% of roads are paved.
11. PNG is now ranked 133 out of 175 countries on the UN Development Index.