Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
be 40.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cameroon, 2.5% 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 2.3 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 78.6% less likely to die by suicide
Cameroon 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.
be 74.5% more likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 46.0% less spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 55.1% fewer doctors per person
Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 31.8% less access to essential health services
Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 28.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 53.1% more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 26.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 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 22.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 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.
have 27.1% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 71.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% 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 59.3% less likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 25.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 56% 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 72.5% less on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.9% less on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% 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 12.8 times more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 40.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.7% less strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 89.2% less home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 62.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 48.6% more CO2
Cameroon emits 0.3 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: Cameroon vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.