New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea: Population density

New Zealand
19.75 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
Papua New Guinea
22.94 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
New Zealand rank
185th
Papua New Guinea rank
182nd

Population density over time

  • New Zealand
  • Papua New Guinea
510152025196119922023

How they compare

Papua New Guinea currently reports 22.94 people per sq. km of land area against 19.75 people per sq. km of land area in New Zealand, a difference of 3.19 people per sq. km of land area.

That makes Papua New Guinea's figure about 1.2 times New Zealand's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was New Zealand ahead.

New Zealand ranks 185th and Papua New Guinea ranks 182nd of 216 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 5 and Papua New Guinea in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade New Zealand Papua New Guinea Difference Ahead
1960s 9.95 people per sq. km of land area 4.95 people per sq. km of land area 5 people per sq. km of land area New Zealand
1970s 11.43 people per sq. km of land area 6.15 people per sq. km of land area 5.28 people per sq. km of land area New Zealand
1980s 12.22 people per sq. km of land area 7.62 people per sq. km of land area 4.6 people per sq. km of land area New Zealand
1990s 13.82 people per sq. km of land area 10.12 people per sq. km of land area 3.69 people per sq. km of land area New Zealand
2000s 15.54 people per sq. km of land area 14.24 people per sq. km of land area 1.3 people per sq. km of land area New Zealand
2010s 17.51 people per sq. km of land area 19.05 people per sq. km of land area 1.54 people per sq. km of land area Papua New Guinea
2020s 19.41 people per sq. km of land area 22.31 people per sq. km of land area 2.91 people per sq. km of land area Papua New Guinea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population density, New Zealand or Papua New Guinea?
Papua New Guinea, at 22.94 people per sq. km of land area against 19.75 people per sq. km of land area in New Zealand as of 2023.
What is the difference in population density between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea?
3.19 people per sq. km of land area, with Papua New Guinea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and Papua New Guinea?
63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
How do New Zealand and Papua New Guinea rank globally for population density?
New Zealand ranks 185th and Papua New Guinea ranks 182nd of 216 countries.
Where does this data come from?
FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea: Population density. Statizoid, drawing on FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://urban.statizoid.com/compare/population-density-people-per-sq-km-of-land-area/new-zealand/papua-new-guinea/

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<a href="https://urban.statizoid.com/compare/population-density-people-per-sq-km-of-land-area/new-zealand/papua-new-guinea/">New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea: Population density</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Population density (people per sq. km of land area)
Unit
people per sq. km of land area
Source
FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
264 places, 15,342 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.