Discover
The identity of the nation
Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of one of the most lush islands on the planet, divided by mountain ranges that isolate entire valleys and gave rise to more than 800 peoples, each with its own language and culture. No other country in the world concentrates so much human diversity in a relatively small territory, making the nation a fascinating mosaic of traditions, colors, and ways of living out faith.
The gospel reached the archipelago more than a century ago and found fertile ground: today more than 94% of the population identifies as Christian, and in 2025 Parliament amended the Constitution to officially declare the country a Christian nation. Among the fruits of this history is Peter To Rot, a native catechist killed in 1945 for defending Christian marriage under Japanese occupation and canonized in 2025 as the country’s first Papuan saint, a sign of a faith that was born and matured within the people themselves.
But the numerical breadth of the Christian faith coexists with a deeper challenge: in many communities, especially in the central highlands, fear of ancestral spirits and accusations of witchcraft (locally called sanguma) still weigh on everyday decisions, even among families that have considered themselves Christian for generations. The task of the Papuan church is no longer to introduce the gospel, but to deepen it, helping the people live out a faith free from the spiritual fear that still hangs over entire villages.
From a missionary standpoint, very few peoples remain without any Christian witness, almost always in remote pockets of the mountains or on small, hard-to-reach islands. The greatest calling today is to raise up local leaders capable of discipling these isolated communities and of confronting, with grace and firmness, the violence tied to witchcraft accusations and clan conflicts. A church that is already large and full of life has everything it needs to also become a missionary force for the rest of Melanesia and the Pacific.
- For tens of thousands of years, hundreds of distinct peoples have inhabited the island of New Guinea, each with its own language and culture, isolated by mountains and forests.
- 16th century European navigators sight the island and name it "New Guinea."
- 1884 The eastern half of the island is divided between the British Empire in the south and the German Empire in the north.
- 1906 The British portion passes to Australian administration as the Territory of Papua.
- 1914 Australian troops seize German New Guinea during World War I.
- 1942-1945 The territory becomes one of the main Pacific battlegrounds of World War II.
- 1975 Independence from Australia; the Independent State of Papua New Guinea is born.
- 2025 Peter To Rot, a catechist killed in 1945 for defending Christian marriage, is canonized as the country's first native saint.
- 2025 Parliament amends the Constitution to officially declare the country a Christian nation.
- Today A nation of Christian majority and enormous diversity of peoples and languages, still seeking depth of faith amid social challenges.
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Tok PisinEnglish-based creole and lingua franca, spoken in some form by millions and uniting the country's more than 800 peoples
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Englishofficial language of government, courts, and education
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Hiri Motusimplified official language, historically used by police and in trade in the Port Moresby region
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Indigenous languagesmore than 800 living languages, making the country the most linguistically diverse in the world
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Sign languagePapua New Guinea Sign Language, officially recognized since 2015
Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, the world's second largest island, along with hundreds of smaller islands such as New Britain, New Ireland, and Bougainville. The terrain is dominated by mountain ranges covered in tropical rainforest, some over 4,000 meters high, which divide the country into isolated valleys and favored the formation of hundreds of distinct peoples and languages. The coast has mangroves and coral reefs; the interior has powerful rivers and active volcanoes, since the country sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Major cities
- Port MoresbyCapital and largest city, main gateway into the country
- LaeSecond largest city, main industrial and port hub
- Mount HagenLargest city in the central highlands, home to a famous annual cultural festival
- MadangCoastal city known for its beaches and coral reefs
- GorokaCultural center of the highlands, home to one of the country's largest indigenous festivals
- WewakCapital of East Sepik province, gateway to the Sepik River and its tribal art tradition
Climate and temperature
Mumu
National dish: pork, sweet potato, and vegetables cooked for hours in an underground pit oven of heated stones.
Kaukau
Sweet potato, a staple food that provides a large share of the Papuan diet's calories.
Sago
Starch extracted from the sago palm, cooked as porridge or dumplings, essential in the diet of swamp regions.
Kokoda
Raw fish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk, a popular coastal dish on the islands.
Cooked banana
Roasted or boiled plantain, a common side dish at almost every meal.
Talautu
Traditional dessert of grated coconut, pineapple, sugar, and coconut milk, common at celebrations.
Kaima bona gatoi
Eggplant, zucchini, chili, and onion grilled over coals, a typical vegetarian village dish.
Understand
Culture and spirituality
2a · The culture
Diversity of peoples
With more than 800 languages, it is the world's most diverse country in number of languages per inhabitant.
Wantok system
The "wantok" (those who speak the same language) functions as a network of mutual support among relatives and neighbors, essential to social life.
Clan and land
Each person's identity is deeply tied to their clan and ancestral land, passed down through generations.
Ceremonial exchanges
Pigs, shells, and today also money seal alliances between clans at weddings and other ceremonies.
Art and body adornment
Face paint, bird-of-paradise feathers, and traditional adornments mark identity and status at festivals such as the one in Mount Hagen.
Oral tradition
Stories, genealogies, and customary law are passed down orally, from generation to generation.
- Photographing people or ceremonies without asking permission Many groups consider a person's image part of their spiritual identity.
- Ignoring the clan and land system Land disputes are sensitive and involve the whole kinship network, not just individuals.
- Walking alone at night in the big cities Urban crime, linked to gangs known as raskols, is a real concern.
- Treating traditional beliefs with contempt They remain influential even among Christians; respect opens doors for gospel dialogue.
- Making informal promises of financial help This creates expectations within the local culture of reciprocity that are hard to fulfill later.
- Underestimating the diversity between regions What applies to a coastal people may not apply to a highland people; each group has its own culture.
2b · The field
Areas of spiritual battle and cultural captivity to cover in prayer. Tap each point to understand:
Beliefs in sorcery (locally called sanguma) still lead to accusations and violence against alleged sorcerers, mostly women.
Christian faith often mixes with fear of ancestral spirits and traditional magical practices.
Long-standing clan conflicts over land and honor still result in deaths in various regions of the country.
Women and girls suffer high rates of domestic and sexual violence, often culturally normalized.
The diversion of public funds undermines trust in institutions and worsens poverty.
Alcohol abuse, especially on paydays, fuels fights and domestic violence.
The raskols, street gangs common in the cities, spread fear and crime, born of unemployment and migration.
Fear of curses and sorcery still leads many to seek out healers instead of the gospel.
Women sustain much of church life but have little room for leadership in many denominations.
Rivalry between denominations sometimes weakens the Christian witness before society.
Religious freedom is broad and legally recognized: the Constitution guarantees the right to profess any faith, and since 2025 the constitutional text itself declares the country a Christian nation. There is no systematic persecution promoted by the state, and the vast majority of the population identifies as Christian.
The real pressure Christians face comes from another front: traditional beliefs in spirits and witchcraft (locally called sanguma) remain deeply rooted in many communities, even among families who call themselves Christian. When someone falls ill or dies unexpectedly, it is still common for blame to fall on an alleged sorcerer, almost always a woman, leading to accusations that end in beatings and even deaths. Christian leaders who take a stand against these practices sometimes face resistance and threats from their own community.
Another challenge is rivalry between denominations and the difficulty of deepening discipleship in the more isolated regions of the mountainous interior, where newly formed churches still depend on very few trained leaders. Despite this, the Papuan church is vibrant, numerous, and increasingly taking the lead, including initiatives led by the Catholic Church itself to protect victims of witchcraft accusations and to promote reconciliation between clans.
The persecution score runs from 0 to 100: the higher it is, the greater the pressure on Christians.
Papua New Guinea is the most diverse country on the planet in number of peoples and languages: there are 883 distinct ethnic groups, shaped by millennia of isolation between valleys and islands. Despite this fragmentation, the gospel has already reached the vast majority of these peoples, and more than 94% of the population identifies as Christian. Officially only 1 people remains classified as unreached, but the real challenge lies in the depth of faith: in many communities, adherence to Christianity coexists with traditional beliefs in spirits and witchcraft, and discipleship still needs to mature amid the natural boundaries that isolate entire villages.
- 30K Unreached 0,3%
- 9K Minimally reached 0,1%
- 15K Superficially reached 0,1%
- 215K Partially reached 2%
- 10.3M Significantly reached 97,5%
- 1 Unreached 0,1%
- 11 Minimally reached 1,2%
- 6 Superficially reached 0,7%
- 80 Partially reached 9,1%
- 785 Significantly reached 88,9%
Source of people group data: Joshua Project (joshuaproject.net). Estimates, may vary.
Deaf Frontier
Kware Frontier
Chinês Han Mandarim
Source: Joshua Project. Estimates, may vary.
Pray
Intercede for this nation
Every nation carries a redemptive purpose. Marks that seem woven into the identity God desires to restore:
Go
Practical details for those who want to go
Local time
Cost of living
especially in Port Moresby, due to security and imports
Cost by city
Reference values (source: Numbeo). Confirm before traveling.
Practical points for those who go
- Learn phrases in Tok Pisin: making the effort to speak the country's lingua franca is highly valued, even though English is official.
- Pay extra attention to safety at night in the big cities; avoid moving around alone after dark.
- Understand the wantok system (support network among speakers of the same language): requests for financial help from acquaintances are part of the local culture.
- Always ask permission to photograph people and ceremonies; the image carries spiritual weight in many local cultures.
- Prefer arranged transport with trusted contacts over unfamiliar shared vehicles.
- Be prepared for poor roads outside the cities; many regions are accessible only by air.
Send and sustain
Not everyone goes, everyone takes part
Not everyone goes. Everyone takes part.
Behind every worker among these peoples stands a network of people who pray without ceasing, care for the family left behind, and faithfully sustain the work. Sending is mission too.
Start with your church: introduce this nation, adopt it in ongoing prayer, and walk alongside those God is raising up to go.