Marape calls for family planning as PNG population hits 10 million

Prime Minister James Marape has urged Papua New Guineans to practice responsible family planning, warning that the country’s fast-growing population could outpace the economy if not managed properly.

Speaking at the launch of the 2024 National Census Results, Prime Minister Marape announced that Papua New Guinea’s population now stands at 10,185,363 people-calling it both a milestone and a wake-up call.

He congratulated the National Statistical Office [NSO] for carrying out what he described as “the quickest, most efficient, and most cost-effective Census in the country’s history.” The Census began in June 2024 and was completed on time and within budget.

“Just as a mother must know how many children she is feeding before sharing a meal, the Government must know how many people it is serving before allocating resources,” the Prime Minister said.

Marape said the new population figure will guide the government’s planning in areas such as education, health, infrastructure, and job creation.

But the Prime Minister also expressed concern over how fast the population is growing, urging young couples to think carefully about how many children they have.

“From conception to adulthood, it can cost up to K5 million to give a child a decent, modern upbringing,” he said. “Parents must think carefully. It is not about how many children you have, but about the quality of life you can provide for them.”

He suggested a national discussion on population control, saying the government may consider linking free education to family size. Under this idea, the first two or three children in a family could receive full education support, while parents would take responsibility for any additional children.

“This is a conversation we must have maturely in churches, communities, and families. A sustainable country must have its economy growing faster than its population,” Marape said.

He also said population monitoring will become a continuous process, calling on provincial administrations to work with health facilities to record all births and deaths to improve future Censuses.

Marape reflected that since Independence in 1975, PNG’s population has tripled, but economic growth has not kept pace.

“For the first 27 years, our economy grew at less than 0.3 percent while our population rose at around 3 percent. That imbalance cannot continue,” he said.

He reminded citizens of how far the nation has come, from 2.1 million people in 1966 to 10.1 million in 2024, an average annual growth rate of 2.6 percent.

“As we celebrate 50 years as a nation and step into our next fifty, let us be mindful of sustainability,” Marape said. “Our economy must not only grow, but it must also grow faster than our population.”