If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of British Virgin Islands, you would:

Health

live 11.2 years less

In British Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 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.

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Life

have 3.0 times more children

In British Virgin Islands, there are approximately 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In British Virgin Islands, approximately 11.4 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.

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Basic Needs

be 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In British Virgin Islands, 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.

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be 75.8% less likely to have internet access

In British Virgin Islands, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.

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be 46.6% less likely to have access to drinking water

In British Virgin Islands, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, 53% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 75.4% less on education

British Virgin Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 64.4 times more coastline

British Virgin Islands has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.

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Infrastructure

find 99.1% less home broadband

British Virgin Islands has 24.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 77.7% less CO2

British Virgin Islands emits 2.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2023–2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Papua New Guinea: At a glance

Papua New Guinea (sometimes abbreviated PNG) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 452,860 sq km. The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.
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How big is Papua New Guinea compared to British Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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