Languages:

Tok Pisin, English, and Hiri Motu are official languages; some 860 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total)

note: Tok Pisin, a creole language, is widely used and understood; English is spoken by 1%-2%; Hiri Motu is spoken by less than 2%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 57.3%

male: 63.4%

female: 50.9% (2000 census)

Education expenditures:

NA