Here, you will find information related to the censuses and surveys conducted by the National Statistical Office and its development partners.

Click the appropriate link to learn more.

Census 2021

The theme for the Census 2021 is; “Be counted! No one left behind”. This means the Census 2021 aims to count every person, both citizens and non-citizens who are living in the country at a defined point in time.

In many other countries including PNG where the cost of conducting a census is very high, censuses are conducted every 10 years. To date, PNG has conducted four (4) censuses since 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2011. The next census is scheduled for July 2021.

Census 2011

The National Population and Housing Census for Papua New Guinea is one of the important national events on the calendar of the country every ten years. The country’s fourth National Population and Housing Census was supposed to be held in July 2010. However, the event was deferred to July 2011 to provide sufficient preparation time. The first three censuses of the country were held in 1980, 1990 and 2000.

Demographic and Health Survey (DHS)

The Demographic and Health Survey (PNG DHS) provides data for monitoring the health situation of the population in Papua New Guinea. The 2016-18 PNG DHS is the first Demographic and Health Survey supported by The DHS Program.

The 2016-18 PNG DHS was implemented by the National Statistical Office from October 2016 to December 2018. Funding for the 2016-18 PNG DHS was provided by the Government of Papua New Guinea (GOPNG), the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). ICF provided technical assistance through The DHS Program, a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that provides support and technical assistance in the implementation of population and health surveys in countries worldwide.

Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES)

The theme for the Census 2021 is; “Be counted! No one left behind”. This means the Census 2021 aims to count every person, both citizens and non-citizens who are living in the country at a defined point in time.

In many other countries including PNG where the cost of conducting a census is very high, censuses are conducted every 10 years. To date, PNG has conducted four (4) censuses since 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2011. The next census is scheduled for July 2021.