Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 14.4% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 77.4% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Costa Rica, 0.6% 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 14.7 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 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 93.1% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 97.7% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 63.0% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 62.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 84.9% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 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 7.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Costa Rica, approximately 24.0 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 11.2% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Costa Rica, approximately 9.1 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 Costa Rica, 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 78.4% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Costa Rica, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 85.3% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 58.2% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% 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 4.0 times more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Infrastructure
live with 97.8% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.0% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 68.1% less CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.