Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Cambodia, you would:
Health
be 59.6% less likely to die by suicide
Cambodia has a suicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cambodia, 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.
live 4.6 years less
In Cambodia, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 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 5.7 times more likely to be obese
In Cambodia, 4.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 62.0% less spent on your healthcare
Cambodia spends $350 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 48.3% less access to essential health services
Cambodia scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 9.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cambodia, 0.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 21.0% more likely to be literate
In Cambodia, the literacy rate is 71.9% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
have 19.6% more children
In Cambodia, there are approximately 20.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 38.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Cambodia, approximately 137.0 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 90.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Cambodia, approximately 16.4 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 78.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cambodia, approximately 95% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 93% 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 72.5% less likely to have internet access
In Cambodia, approximately 68.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 35.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cambodia, approximately 83% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 79% 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 64.2% less on education
Cambodia spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 37.9% less on healthcare
Cambodia spends 4.6% 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 11.6 times more coastline
Cambodia has a total of 443 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 20.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cambodia, road accidents kill 18.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.2 times more likely to be murdered
Cambodia has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2011. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2010.
Infrastructure
live with 87.5% less strain on fresh water
Cambodia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 94.5% less home broadband
Cambodia has 4.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 36.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cambodia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 52.7% less CO2
Cambodia emits 1.1 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 (2010–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cambodia vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Cambodia? See an in-depth size comparison.