Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Cayman Islands, you would:
Health
live 14.3 years less
In Cayman Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 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.
Economy
make 97.1% less money
Cayman Islands has a GDP per capita of $104,293 as of 2024, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Cayman Islands, there are approximately 11.6 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 12.0% less likely to be literate
In Cayman Islands, the literacy rate is 98.9% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 4.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Cayman Islands, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. 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 Cayman 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.
be 76.8% less likely to have internet access
In Cayman Islands, approximately 81.1% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 44.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cayman Islands, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, 53% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.3% less on education
Cayman Islands spends 1.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 32.2 times more coastline
Cayman Islands has a total of 160 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Infrastructure
find 99.6% less home broadband
Cayman Islands has 56.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 89.6% less CO2
Cayman Islands emits 5.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cayman Islands vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Cayman Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.