Papua New Guinea

One factor that is hindering labour productivity and long-term growth in Papua New Guinea is the poor state of public health – although the picture is slowly improving. Advancing the country’s primary health care system is a priority for both the social agenda and economic plans, with the target to achieve universal health care a key part of the Development Strategic Plan 2010...

Global trade faces protectionist headwinds that are dampening the outlook for growth in the coming years. According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), trade volumes grew by 3% in 2018 and are expected to decline slightly to 2.6% in 2019 before rebounding to 3% in 2020. This may be the first time since the 2007-08 global financial crisis that growth will fall below a 3%...

Insurance has an important role to play in disaster and climate risk management in Papua New Guinea, helping to ease the fiscal burden of extreme events such as earthquakes and floods. Timely and predictable payouts after such events can be highly beneficial in terms of improving investor security; however, current insurance penetration rates remain low.