Food imports in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Food imports was 16.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Food imports in Papua New Guinea, 1971–2023
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 16.5% for food imports in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.8% on the previous year and up 49.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Papua New Guinea peaked at 27.2% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 2012.
That places Papua New Guinea 86th out of 196 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Food imports in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 18.9% | — |
| 1972 | 20.2% | +6.8% |
| 1973 | 23.2% | +15.2% |
| 1974 | 27.2% | +17.0% |
| 1975 | 21.8% | -19.9% |
| 1976 | 23.0% | +5.8% |
| 1981 | 19.6% | -14.8% |
| 1982 | 19.7% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 18.4% | -6.5% |
| 1984 | 19.7% | +7.1% |
| 1985 | 18.7% | -5.2% |
| 1986 | 19.5% | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 17.6% | -9.7% |
| 1998 | 18.9% | +7.7% |
| 2000 | 18.3% | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 15.3% | -16.1% |
| 2002 | 16.4% | +7.2% |
| 2003 | 16.5% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 16.7% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 11.6% | -30.7% |
| 2012 | 11.0% | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 16.4% | +48.9% |
| 2020 | 19.8% | +20.3% |
| 2021 | 19.2% | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 18.1% | -6.0% |
| 2023 | 16.5% | -8.8% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 16.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.4%, 90% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 16.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.8%, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.4% | 18.9% | 27.2% | 6 |
| 1980s | 19.0% | 17.6% | 19.7% | 7 |
| 1990s | 18.9% | 18.9% | 18.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 16.7% | 15.3% | 18.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 13.0% | 11.0% | 16.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 18.4% | 16.5% | 19.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More private sector data for Papua New Guinea
- Merchandise trade 62.0% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 64.7% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 4.62 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 19.7% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 1.8% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 15.54 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,444 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4782 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 11.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 429.26 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Papua New Guinea?
- Food imports in Papua New Guinea was 16.5% in 2023, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 27.2% in 1974.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 2012.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for food imports?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 86th out of 196 countries with data for 2023.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.