Background: Teenage pregnancy is a global public health issue, and it poses a serious threat to the health and socioeconomic status of mothers and their newborn children. Although Papua New Guinea (PNG) has recorded one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates among Asia-Pacific countries, no study has been conducted on socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy in this country. Therefore, this study aimed to access socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy and its contributing factors in PNG. Methods: Data for this cross-sectional study were obtained from the 2016–2018 Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey. The analytical sample consisted of 2,874 girls aged 15–19 years. We employed Erreygers normalized concentration index (ECI) and concentration curves to measure and depict socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy. Decomposition analysis was likewise performed to identify the contributions of determinants to the observed inequality. Results: Weighted ECI for teenage pregnancy was −0.059 (P < 0.01), thereby indicating that teenage pregnancy in PNG is disproportionately concentrated among poor girls. Decomposition analysis suggested that education level (90.5%), wealth index (38.6%), and region (11.1%) are the main determinants explaining the pro-poor socioeconomic inequality in teenage pregnancy. Conclusions: A pro-poor socioeconomic inequality of teenage pregnancy was present in PNG. This inequality may be alleviated by such interventions as ensuring that teenage girls receive education; implementing poverty alleviation projects, eliminating child, early, and forced marriages; and improving geographical accessibility to health facilities on contraceptive services.

Background: Papua New Guinea (PNG) has recorded the highest maternal mortality ratio in the Western Pacific Region and faces major challenges in achieving SDG 3. Antenatal care (ANC), skilled birth attendant (SBA) and postnatal care (PNC) services are critical components of maternal healthcare services (MHS) for reducing maternal mortality and promoting maternal health in PNG. The study sought to assess the prevalence and determinants of ANC, SBA and PNC services amongst women in PNG. Methods: The study was conducted using the 2016–2018 Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey. A total of 5248 reproductive-age women were considered as the analytical sample. The outcome variables were utilisation of ANC, SBA and PNC services. Chi-square test, multivariable logistic regression and dominance analysis were conducted. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: The prevalence rates of ANC, SBA and PNC services were 52.3%, 58.7% and 26.6%, respectively. Women’s employment, education, media exposure, distance to health facility, household wealth, region, residence and parity were determinants of MHS utilisation. ANC, SBA and PNC services utilisation were all primarily influenced by enabling factors, followed by predisposing and need factors. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that enabling factors such as media exposure, distance to health facility, household wealth, region and residence have the greatest impact on MHS utilisation, followed by predisposing (working, education) and need factors (parity). Therefore, enabling factors should be prioritised when developing maternal health programmes and policies. For example, transport and health infrastructure should be strengthened and women’s education and vocational training should be increased, especially in Highlands region, Momase region and rural areas, to increase the utilisation of MHS.