Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Canada, you would:
Health
be 80.7% less likely to die by suicide
Canada has a suicide rate of 9.4 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 Canada, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
live 15.8 years less
In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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.
see 98.3% less spent on your healthcare
Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 97.8% fewer doctors per person
Canada has 28.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 67.0% less access to essential health services
Canada scores 91 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 62.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 94.6% less money
Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 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 15.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Canada, approximately 12.0 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 6.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Canada, approximately 4.7 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 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Canada, 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 80.1% less likely to have internet access
In Canada, approximately 94.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 45.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Canada, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 98% 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 83.9% less on education
Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 74.6% less on healthcare
Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 97.5% less coastline
Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 3.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.5% less strain on fresh water
Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.5% less home broadband
Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 96.3% less CO2
Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Canada vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.