Indicators suggest PNG is progressing well, says UN

PAPUA New Guinea is progressing in terms of education, sanitation, and technology, United Nations resident coordinator Richard Howard says.
Howard made this statement during the launching of the Key Indicators Report by the United Nations Population Fund Port Moresby.
He said the socio-demographic and economic survey is a snapshot of how the country is progressing towards its goals.
“It indicates that school attendance has increased over the past 10 years where 77 per cent of the population attended school compared to 57 per cent in 2011,” he said.
“Open dedication has decreased, from 16 per cent as of 2016 to 13 per cent and 71 per cent of households have had excess to mobile phones compared to 56 per cent in 2018.”
Howard said the report has also showed that Papua New Guineans are living longer with proportion of over 65 years are increasing from 2.6 per cent in 2011 to 3.4 per cent in 2022.
He said that with interesting things happening in the country, investments must be accounted to meet the country’s growing population needs.
Deputy national statistician and deputy census director Hajily Kele said this data set is a vital information source for the country.
“It is vital for the development, monitoring and evaluation of various socio-economic policies, strategies and development plans.”
The survey is a nationally representative household survey that is designed to provide information on population, migration, education, labour and employment, fertility, disability, household and housing characteristics.