Papua New Guinea: Population ages 65 and above, male

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Papua New Guinea's population ages 65 and above, male rose 4.8% on 2024 (from 188,262 to 197,353).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +4% and a typical year strayed about 0.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 8.5% in 1982. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 6,436 a year. A straight line explains 99% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 210,998 for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 7,267, against 16,423 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2025, Papua New Guinea had the 116th highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Papua New Guinea in the 2025 ranking

• El Salvador — 113th of 217: 204,979
• Chad — 114th of 217: 202,305
• Panama — 115th of 217: 199,524
• Tajikistan — 117th of 217: 194,017
• Albania — 118th of 217: 193,400
• Kyrgyz Republic — 119th of 217: 179,873

What this measures

Male population 65 years of age or older. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 66 values

Population ages 65 and above, male in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 1,833 (2025)
• Australia — 2.33 million (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 15,755 (2025)
• Cambodia — 445,862 (2025)
• China — 94.16 million (2025)
• Fiji — 26,508 (2025)
• French Polynesia — 16,477 (2025)
• Guam — 10,194 (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 831,313 (2025)
• Indonesia — 9.35 million (2025)
• Japan

More health data for Papua New Guinea

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 11.41% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 11.56% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 1.72 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 32.84% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 1.85 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 33.44% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 3.57 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 33.15% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Papua New Guinea's population ages 65 and above, male?

197,353 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 1,462% from 12,638 in 1960 (4.32% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 197,353 in 2025 and the lowest 12,638 in 1960.

How does Papua New Guinea rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.POP.65UP.MA.IN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.