Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Bangladesh, you would:
Health
be 35.2% less likely to die by suicide
Bangladesh has a suicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Bangladesh, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
live 8.7 years less
In Bangladesh, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
be 4.9 times more likely to be obese
In Bangladesh, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 33.0% less spent on your healthcare
Bangladesh spends $199 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 91.6% fewer doctors per person
Bangladesh has 7.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 42.3% less access to essential health services
Bangladesh scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Bangladesh, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 16.3% more money
Bangladesh has a GDP per capita of $2,597 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 10.1% more likely to be literate
In Bangladesh, the literacy rate is 79.0% as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
have 21.5% more children
In Bangladesh, there are approximately 20.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 64.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Bangladesh, approximately 115.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, 189.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Bangladesh, approximately 24.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, 31.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 79.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bangladesh, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 20% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 13% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 64.8% less likely to have internet access
In Bangladesh, approximately 53.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Bangladesh, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 53% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 48% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 61.6% less on education
Bangladesh spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 32.3% more on healthcare
Bangladesh spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.9 times more coastline
Bangladesh has a total of 580 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 19.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bangladesh, road accidents kill 18.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.7% less strain on fresh water
Bangladesh withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 97.2% less home broadband
Bangladesh has 8.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 42.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bangladesh, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 27.8% less CO2
Bangladesh emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Bangladesh vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Bangladesh? See an in-depth size comparison.