Booming Papua New Guinea eyes ‘three child’ policy
The country is ranked among the fastest-growing in the world, although census data in the South Pacific nation is notoriously unreliable.
Papua New Guinea is contemplating a policy to limit families to only three children, Prime Minister James Marape announced. The South Pacific nation, with an estimated 10 million inhabitants, is grappling with one of the world's fastest growing populations. China previously enforced a one-child policy before abolishing it in 2016, while other countries like Vietnam and Iran have experimented with limiting families to two children.
Unreliable census data makes it challenging to ascertain Papua New Guinea's exact population count, but estimates range from 10 million to potentially higher numbers due to the country's extensive forested and mountainous terrain. Marape's proposal aims to curb uncontrolled demographic expansion and prevent unplanned births by encouraging families to have no more than three children. The method of implementing this policy remains unclear.
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