Papua New Guinea Health Spending
Current health expenditure as % of GDP SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS
Papua New Guinea's health spending was 3.05% in 2025, ranked 174th globally. This represents a 6.3% increase from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 2000–2025.
Overview
Papua New Guinea's health spending stood at 3.05% in 2025, a rise of +0.18% from 2023. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 3.05% by 2025. Papua New Guinea ranked 174th globally.
Papua New Guinea's health spending has demonstrated a moderate increase over the past two and a half decades. The country's health expenditure began at 2.02% of its GDP in 2000 and reached a peak of 3.27% in 2014 before slightly declining to 1.82% in 2015. Since then, it has gradually increased to 3.05% in 2025, ranking the country 174th globally. This trajectory is comparable to that of Gambia, which recorded a health spending of 3.07% in 2025. Papua New Guinea's health spending has historically been lower than that of some of its peer countries, such as Gabon, which spent 3.08% of its GDP on health in 2025. The country's health spending as a percentage of GDP has shown a steady, albeit slow, upward trend since the mid-2010s. A further increase in government funding and investment in the healthcare sector could potentially accelerate this trend, potentially leading to improved health outcomes for Papua New Guinea's population.
Data & projection
| Year | Health Spending | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* trend | 3.19% | - | - |
| 2025* trend | 3.05% | - | - |
| 2025 | 3.05% | +0.18% | #174 |
| 2023 | 2.87% | +0.26% | #12 |
| 2022 | 2.61% | +0.27% | #9 |
| 2021 | 2.34% | +0.04% | #3 |
| 2020 | 2.30% | −0.02% | #3 |
| 2019 | 2.33% | +0.02% | #4 |
| 2018 | 2.30% | +0.07% | #4 |
| 2017 | 2.23% | −0.10% | #1 |
| 2016 | 2.33% | +0.51% | #2 |
| 2015 | 1.82% | −1.45% | #1 |
| 2014 | 3.27% | +0.27% | #20 |
| 2013 | 3.00% | +0.33% | #19 |
| 2012 | 2.67% | +0.37% | #14 |
| 2011 | 2.29% | +0.19% | #9 |
| 2010 | 2.11% | −0.22% | #5 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Papua New Guinea matched the Export Boom Cycle pattern in 2022. Historically, 71% of countries showing this pattern (546 out of 768) saw health spending improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Papua New Guinea's health spending was 3.05% in 2025. Ranked 174th globally. This represents a 6.3% increase from the previous year.
Papua New Guinea's health spending peaked at 3.27% in 2014.
The lowest health spending in Papua New Guinea was 1.82% in 2015.
Papua New Guinea ranks 174th globally in health spending as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
Papua New Guinea's health spending is projected to reach 3.05% by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
The health spending of Papua New Guinea in 2025 was 3.05%. This ranks 174th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_papua-new-guinea_health-spending,
title = {Papua New Guinea Health Spending},
url = {https://historysaid.com/papua-new-guinea/health-spending/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}