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Languages

Languages of Papua New Guinea

Port MoresbyLocal time

Papua New Guinea's official-language framework includes English, Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu. The country also has hundreds of Indigenous languages.

Papua New Guinea
COUNTRY LANGUAGE PROFILE
English
English
Text direction: LTR

Papua New Guinea is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with hundreds of local languages alongside Tok Pisin, English and Hiri Motu in national life.

English
First listed core language
Not a speaker-share estimate
1
Writing system represented
Across the core language set
LTR
Primary text direction
Additional directions noted below

Language Overview

EnglishTok PisinHiri Motu

Read the Characters

English · 26 characters

English · 26 characters
A
a
B
b
C
c
D
d
E
e
F
f
G
g
H
h
I
i
J
j
K
k
L
l
M
m
N
n
O
o
P
p
Q
q
R
r
S
s
T
t
U
u
V
v
W
w
X
x
Y
y
Z
z

How to Read the Language Landscape

PolicyLegal and administrative language status may differ between national and subnational government.
Everyday useA language can be socially dominant without being the only language used at home, school, work or in media.
Community diversityIndigenous, minority, migrant and sign languages can remain important even when they are not part of a short national headline list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What languages are used in Papua New Guinea?

Papua New Guinea is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with hundreds of local languages alongside Tok Pisin, English and Hiri Motu in national life.

What writing systems are used in Papua New Guinea?

The represented writing system is Latin and the primary direction shown is left to right.

More about Papua New Guinea

Explore Papua New Guinea across the other DigifyWorld country-data sections.

Public HolidaysPublic holidays 2026 and 2027→Digital AdoptionInternet, payments and digital government→Population & DemographicsPopulation, age structure and projections→Economy SnapshotGDP, trade and economic structure→Currency & ExchangeCurrency, exchange rates and money→Human DevelopmentHDI and quality-of-life indicators→Geography & EnvironmentLand, climate and environment→Practical Country InfoTime, driving, electricity and codes→EducationSchool system and education data→

Sources & methodology

View sources used for this page
Papua New Guinea Department of Foreign Affairs: Languages

Official government source describing English, Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu in the country's official-language framework and noting the country's extensive Indigenous language diversity.

Unicode CLDR: Country/Region Names

Localized country display-name reference. CLDR names are customary UI/display names, not claims about a state’s full constitutional long-form name.

Unicode: Supported Scripts

Reference for the writing-system/script families represented in the character component.

Unicode: Writing Direction and Bidirectional Text

Reference for left-to-right and right-to-left script direction and bidirectional text behavior.

Unicode Character Database: NamesList

Reference for Unicode character names used as small readout labels under selected character samples; these labels are not presented as a complete transliteration standard.