List of cities and towns in Papua New Guinea by population


This is a list of cities and towns in Papua New Guinea by population.
Many of these figures were taken from the most recent PNG census, which was in the year 2000. Many population centres will have substantially grown since the year 2000 due to increasing urbanisation in Papua New Guinea, and disaster recovery. On the other hand, Arawa has shrunk dramatically since 1990 due to war.

List of cities and towns

Only population areas with more than 5,000 people, or notable centres are ranked.
RankSettlement NameProvincePopulation
1Port Moresby*National Capital District254,158
2Lae*Morobe100,677
3Arawa*Bougainville36,443
4Mount Hagen*Western Highlands27,782
5Madang*Madang27,420
6Wewak*East Sepik25,143
7Goroka*Eastern Highlands25,000 ~
8Kokopo*East New Britain20,262
9Popondetta*Oro19,556
10Aitape*Sandaun18,000
*Rabaul 1990East New Britain17,044
*Hanuabada VillageNational Capital District15,000 ~
11Kimbe*West New Britain14,656
12TabubilWestern13,800 ~
13Daru*Western12,879
14Kavieng*New Ireland10,600 ~
15Alotau*Milne Bay10,025
16Vanimo*Sandaun9,809
17BuloloMorobe9,500 ~
18KiungaWestern8,265
19TariSouthern Highlands8,186
20Kundiawa*Simbu8,147
21Mendi*Southern Highlands8,000 ~
22KainantuEastern Highlands6,723
23Lorengau*Manus5,829
24IalibuSouthern Highlands5,478
25Kerema*Gulf5,116
26NingerumWestern5,000 ~
26WauMorobe5,000 ~
?Wabag*Enga4,072
?RabaulEast New Britain3,885

* Denotes a capital city.
~ Is an estimated population, all other populations were determined by the most recent census, in the year 2000. The next PNG census will be held in 2010.
? Denotes a population with an undetermined rank.

Disaster and population shift

Natural and man-made disaster historically plays a major role in population shift in Papua New Guinea. The most notable are:
Disaster/Population ShiftPlace where affectedNotes
1994 volcanic eruption
  • Rabaul, East New Britain
Displaced thousands of residents.
1997 Western Province drought
  • Tabubil
  • Kiunga
  • Mendi
  • Tari
  • Fly River
  • Southern Highlands
    		• Left many agricultural communities in the highlands without food, and larger landlocked settlements that rely heavily on river shipping. Death toll is unknown. Many people permanently moved.
    1998 earthquake and tsunami
  • Aitape
  • Sandaun Province
  • East Sepik Province
  • Sepik Delta
    		• Killed thousands of residents. Many places were also affected with disease afterward due to improper handling of the dead and greatly reduced living conditions. About 10,000 people became refugees.
    Ongoing Bougainville conflict
  • Arawa
  • Kieta
  • Panguna
  • Bougainville Island
  • Buka Island
    		• This conflict caused unmeasurable but significant displacement. The 2000 CIA world Factbook states that 20,000 lives were lost in the conflict by 1997.
    Indonesian refugee population shift
  • Western Province
  • Sandaun
    		• Many refugee camps exist on the border of Indonesia, such as Black Wara, one of the biggest. The population of the Western Province refugee camps during the 2000 census was set at around 10,000, although the number of Indonesian refugees in the country is much higher.
    Squatter settlements
  • Whole country
    		• Most population centres in Papua New Guinea have shantytown-styled settlements, referred to as squatter settlements. Many people move in and out of these settlements periodically, as village life becomes harder, the appeal of urban life and manufactured goods becomes greater, and efforts are made to disperse the residents.