Military profile
Papua New Guinea Military Strength
Papua New Guinea is not covered by the Global Firepower ranking. It spent $106 million on its military in 2025 (0.4% of GDP).
Papua New Guinea armed forces in numbers
Finance
- Military spending
- $106 million#139 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 0.4%#150 of 156
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Papua New Guinea military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Papua New Guinea grew by 130% between 2010 and 2025, from $46 million to $106 million (current US dollars), and stood at 0.4% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Papua New Guinea
Branches and forces
Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF): Land, Air, Maritime elements Ministry of Internal Security: Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) (2025)
Personnel
estimated 4,000 active PNGDF (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-27 (30 for officers) for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the PNGDF is lightly armed; the Land Force has no heavy weapons while the Air and the Maritime forces have a handful of light aircraft and small patrol boats provided by Australia and New Zealand (2025)
Good to know
the Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF) is tasked with defense of the country and its territories against external attack, as well as internal security and socio-economic development duties; following some inter-tribal violence in Wapenamanda in 2024, the PNGDF was given arrest powers since 2023, Papua New Guinea has signed bilateral defense cooperation agreements with Australia, Indonesia, the UK, and the US; the 2023 defense cooperation agreement with the US allowed the US military to develop and operate out of bases in PNG with the PNG Government’s approval; PNG has also military relations with France and New Zealand and has discussed a security cooperation agreement with China the PNGDF was established in 1973, and its primary combat unit, the Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (RPIR), is descended from Australian Army infantry battalions comprised of native soldiers and led by Australian officers and non-commissioned officers formed during World War II to help fight the Japanese; the RPIR was disbanded after the war, but reestablished in 1951 as part of the Australian Army where it continued to serve until PNG gained its independence in 1975, when it became part of the PNGDF (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 0.3% · 2023: 0.3% · 2022: 0.3% · 2021: 0.4% · 2020: 0.4%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Papua New Guinea compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Papua New Guinea | — | $106 million |
 Indonesia | #13 | $15.0 billion |