Skip to content

The Resources Industry

Economic contribution

The resources and energy sector’s contribution to Papua New Guinea’s economy.

Data as at 2017–2018

Earlier edition: 2017–2018. See Industry Contributions for PNG EITI evidence with its published reporting periods.

Data as at 2017–2018

Key figures

26% of GDP Source: PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum industry overview, 2017–2018
84% approx. share of export revenue, which totalled K23 billion in 2017 Source: PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum industry overview, 2017–2018
K22.7 billion value of exports to September 2018 Source: PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, 2018

The minerals and energy industry have long played a vital role in Papua New Guinea’s economic development.

The industry contributes 26% of PNG’s GDP and around 84% of the Nation’s export revenue which totalled K23 billion in 2017.

The financial contribution of the resource sectors to the PNG economy can be broadly divided into two categories:

  1. direct revenues - comprising company tax, royalty, dividend withholding tax, salary and wages tax, foreign contractors tax, duties, production levy, development levies and dividends paid to the government and landowners if holding an equity interest in the project, and
  2. indirect revenue - comprising of tax credit scheme projects, special support grants and development levies, employment, education and training, public health programs, business and agricultural development, and community infrastructure.

Value of exports in 2018 (September) totalled K22.7 billion

Value of exports to September 2018, by sectorK million; share of the total in brackets. Total K22.7 billion.
  • Resource sector
  • Other sectors
  1. Oil and gas (Resource sector)K11,297.9m (50%)
  2. Mining (Resource sector)K8,265.0m (36%)
  3. Agriculture (Other sectors)K1,472.5m (6%)
  4. Forest (Other sectors)K818.5m (4%)
  5. Marine (Other sectors)K463.8m (2%)
  6. Other (Other sectors)K426.0m (2%)

Source: PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, 2018.

Prior to the completion of the LNG project, mining was the single largest export revenue earner; now reverting to the second largest, behind oil and gas (LNG) exports. Growth in the resource sectors has also acted as a large stimulus for growth in other sectors of the economy, including the financial sector, agriculture, telecommunications, construction, manufacturing and tourism.

Explore more industry information

The Resources Industry
Miners with underground drilling equipment
Data as at 2019

Mining

Operating mineral projects, the project pipeline and mining tenement information.

A drilling rig at a highlands gas field
Data as at 2019

Petroleum & Energy

Oil and gas projects, key industry players and petroleum tenement information.

An operator at a computer workstation in a plant control room
Data as at 2024

Industry Contributions

Economic and social contributions, with PNG EITI evidence and earlier editions.