Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Central African Republic, you would:
Health
be 37.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Central African Republic, 2.4% 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 8.6 years longer
In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 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 80.2% less likely to die by suicide
Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
have 17.6% fewer doctors per person
Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
Economy
be 58.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 5.4 times more money
Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 72.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 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 2.3 times more likely to be literate
In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 46.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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 47.4% fewer children
In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 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 16.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% 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 36.5% more likely to have internet access
In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% 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 57.4% less on education
Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 73.1% less on healthcare
Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 42.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.5 times more home broadband
Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
live with 61.8% less strain on fresh water
Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 61.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 8.7 times more CO2
Central African Republic emits 0.1 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Central African Republic vs. Papua New Guinea
MORE COMPARISONS
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
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