The 2009-2010 HIES is the first comprehensive and nationally representative survey of the socio-economic status of PNG households since the 1996 Household Survey of PNG conducted by Unisearch from the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) and the Institute of National Affairs (INA). In 2008, the Government of Papua New Guinea began planning a Household Income and Expenditure Survey inurban areas with the primary objective to generate household consumption data that could be used to rebase the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which is currently based on a weighting diagram from a 1975-76 household expenditure survey.

Some of the key findings are noted in the summary report (below).