If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Burkina Faso, you would:

Health

live 5.0 years longer

In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 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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be 78.6% less likely to die by suicide

Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 3.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Burkina Faso, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.

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be 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 40.6% less spent on your healthcare

Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.

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have 58.8% fewer doctors per person

Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.

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have 25.0% less access to essential health services

Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 26.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.

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make 2.6 times more money

Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.

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Life

be 21.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Burkina Faso, approximately 242.0 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.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be literate

In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.

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be 28.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Burkina Faso, approximately 43.6 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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have 22.5% fewer children

In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.3 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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Basic Needs

be 33.4% less likely to have internet access

In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 85.4% less on education

Burkina Faso spends 5.3% 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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spend 63.2% less on healthcare

Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 46.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 98.3% less strain on fresh water

Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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find 72.9% less home broadband

Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 54.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.

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emit 92.6% more CO2

Burkina Faso emits 0.3 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). 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 Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.

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