Australia vs Papua New Guinea
Australia vs Papua New Guinea: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 60,000 people in Australia and 4,000 people in Papua New Guinea, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Australia, by 56,000 people, or 15 times that in Papua New Guinea.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Australia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Australia | Papua New Guinea | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 60,000 | 4,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 59,000 | 4,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 58,100 | 3,600 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 58,000 | 4,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 57,800 | 3,600 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 57,800 | 1,900 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 56,750 | 1,900 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 56,750 | 1,900 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 56,200 | 1,900 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 57,050 | 3,100 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 56,550 | 3,100 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 56,550 | 3,100 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 55,000 | 3,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 55,000 | 3,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 51,000 | 3,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 53,000 | 3,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 52,000 | 3,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 53,600 | 3,100 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 50,900 | 3,100 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 51,700 | 4,400 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 51,600 | 4,400 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 56,200 | 4,300 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 58,400 | 4,300 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 58,400 | 4,300 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 58,800 | 3,700 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 57,100 | 3,800 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 65,000 | 4,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 68,000 | – | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 68,000 | 4,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 68,000 | 4,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 68,000 | 4,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 70,000 | 3,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 70,400 | 3,200 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 71,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1983 | 73,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1982 | 73,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1981 | 72,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1980 | 71,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1979 | 70,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1978 | 70,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1977 | 70,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1976 | 71,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1975 | 70,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1974 | 68,000 | – | – |
| 1973 | 71,000 | – | – |
| 1972 | 86,000 | – | – |
| 1971 | 86,000 | – | – |
| 1970 | 86,000 | – | – |
| 1969 | 82,000 | – | – |
| 1968 | 80,000 | – | – |
| 1967 | 72,000 | – | – |
| 1966 | 59,000 | – | – |
| 1965 | 53,000 | – | – |
| 1964 | 53,000 | – | – |
| 1963 | 49,000 | – | – |
| 1962 | 49,000 | – | – |
| 1961 | 46,000 | – | – |
| 1960 | 47,000 | – | – |
| 1959 | 48,000 | – | – |
| 1958 | 46,000 | – | – |
| 1957 | 48,000 | – | – |
| 1956 | 52,000 | – | – |
| 1955 | 52,000 | – | – |
| 1954 | 54,000 | – | – |
| 1953 | 57,000 | – | – |
| 1952 | 32,000 | – | – |
| 1951 | 33,000 | – | – |
| 1950 | 38,000 | – | – |
| 1949 | 41,000 | – | – |
| 1948 | 61,000 | – | – |
| 1947 | 82,000 | – | – |
| 1946 | 103,000 | – | – |
| 1945 | 596,000 | – | – |
| 1944 | 680,000 | – | – |
| 1943 | 680,000 | – | – |
| 1941 | 400,000 | – | – |
| 1940 | 82,000 | – | – |
| 1939 | 8,000 | – | – |
| 1938 | 8,000 | – | – |
| 1937 | 8,000 | – | – |
| 1936 | 8,000 | – | – |
| 1935 | 8,000 | – | – |
| 1934 | 8,000 | – | – |
| 1933 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1932 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1931 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1930 | 7,000 | – | – |
| 1929 | 7,000 | – | – |
| 1928 | 8,000 | – | – |
| 1927 | 8,000 | – | – |
| 1926 | 8,000 | – | – |
| 1925 | 7,000 | – | – |
| 1924 | 7,000 | – | – |
| 1923 | 7,000 | – | – |
| 1922 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1921 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1920 | 6,000 | – | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 170 countries with a value in 2020, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Australia vs Papua New Guinea
Health
- Life expectancyAustralia: 83.9 years in 2023Papua New Guinea: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityAustralia: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024Papua New Guinea: 3.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityAustralia: 3.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023Papua New Guinea: 32.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionAustralia: 4.62% in 2017Papua New Guinea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateAustralia: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Papua New Guinea: 23.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationAustralia: 26.5 million people in 2023Papua New Guinea: 10.4 million people in 2023
- Population growthAustralia: 0.99% a year in 2023Papua New Guinea: 1.8% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateAustralia: 1.64 births per woman in 2023Papua New Guinea: 3.1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationAustralia: 87.7% in 2025Papua New Guinea: 15.8% in 2025
- Median ageAustralia: 37.8 years in 2023Papua New Guinea: 22.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overAustralia: 17.4% in 2023Papua New Guinea: 3.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateAustralia: 5.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Papua New Guinea: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
- GDP per personAustralia: $61,370 in 2025Papua New Guinea: $2,665 in 2025
- GDP growthAustralia: 2% a year in 2025Papua New Guinea: 3.9% a year in 2024
- InflationAustralia: 2.8% a year in 2025Papua New Guinea: 4.4% a year in 2025
- Government debtAustralia: 51.9% of GDP in 2025Papua New Guinea: 51.6% of GDP in 2025
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingAustralia: 1.92% of GDP in 2025Papua New Guinea: 0.35% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsAustralia: $35.3B in 2025Papua New Guinea: $110M in 2025
- Military spending per personAustralia: $1,316 in 2025Papua New Guinea: $10 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingAustralia: 4.9% of government spending in 2025Papua New Guinea: 1.6% of government spending in 2025
- National powerAustralia: 0.6% of world capability in 2022Papua New Guinea: 0.03% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersAustralia: 0.44% of the labour force in 2020Papua New Guinea: 0.12% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsAustralia: 826 million TIV in 2025Papua New Guinea: 9 million TIV in 2023