
- Name: Papaya, Papaw, Pawpaw
- Type of Food: Fruit
- Produced From: Carica papaya
- Total Calories: 45 (one small papaya, 100 grams)
- Total Fat: 0.1 grams (one small papaya, 100 grams)
- Total Protein: 0.6 grams (one small papaya, 100 grams)
- Total Carbohydrates: 11.7 grams (one small papaya, 100 grams)
28 Papaya Facts for Kids
- Papaya is a fruit grown from on the papaya tree (Carica papaya) and consumed by humans.
- Papaya fruit is also known as papaw or pawpaw.
- Papaya fruit is native (originated) to Mexico and southern South America.
- Papaya is botanically a berry that is between 6 and 18 inches long with a diameter between 4 and 12 inches.
- A ripe papaya has amber to orange hue skin color and is soft when gently squeezed.
- The papaya tree has three sexes, and they are male, female and hermaphrodite.
- The male papaya tree doesn’t produce fruit, and it only produces the pollen that is used by a female.
- The female papaya tree produces fruit but needs to be pollinated by a male to produce edible fruit.
- The hermaphrodite papaya tree can self-pollinate and produce edible fruit.
- According to FAOSTAT, the world produced over 14 million tons of papaya in 2018.
- According to FAOSTAT, the largest producer of papaya in 2018 was India with over 6.6 million tons.
- Based on FAOSTAT data, India produced over 47% of the world’s papaya supply in 2018.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 55 calories.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains negligible amounts of fat.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains no cholesterol.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 4 milligrams of sodium.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 14 grams of carbohydrates.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 2.5 grams of dietary fiber.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 8 grams of sugar.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains less than a gram of protein.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 34 milligrams of calcium.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 360 milligrams of potassium.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains less than a gram of iron.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 1,533 milligrams of vitamin A.
- One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 87 milligrams of vitamin C.
- Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and Papaya mosaic virus (PapMV) are two known viruses that can harm and destroy a papaya tree and/or its fruit.
- The papaya fruit fly (Toxotrypana curvicauda) and the red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) are two known pests that can harm and destroy a papaya tree and/or its fruit.
- According to the Guinness World Records, the tallest papaya tree (Carica papaya) in the world reached a height of 46.16 feet. This record was set on January 22nd, 2017 by Jhantu Paul in India.
Pictures of Papaya

A picture of a large papaya plantation.Credit: Ghetty Images

A picture of a papaya growing on a tree.Credit: Ghetty Images

A picture of a papaya being harvested.Credit: Ghetty Images

A picture of a whole papaya.Credit: Ghetty Images

A picture of a papaya cut in half.Credit: Ghetty Images

A picture of a sliced papaya.Credit: Ghetty Images
Additional Resources on Papaya
- Papaya Nutrition Facts – Discover the nutritional facts about papaya on the USDA FoodData Central website.
- The Health Benefits of Papaya – Learn about all the health benefits of eating papaya on the MSN website.
- How to Grow Papaya – Find out how you can grow papaya on the Tropical Perma Culture website.
- Papaya – Wikipedia – Read more papaya facts on the Wikipedia website.