Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
be 75.9% less likely to die by suicide
Ecuador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ecuador, 0.4% 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 11.3 years less
In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 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 89.3% less spent on your healthcare
Ecuador spends $1,238 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 97.4% fewer doctors per person
Ecuador has 23.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 61.0% less access to essential health services
Ecuador scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 22.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Ecuador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 57.6% less money
Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $7,125 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 63.9% more children
In Ecuador, there are approximately 14.8 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 3.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 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 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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 79.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ecuador, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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 75.6% less likely to have internet access
In Ecuador, approximately 77.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 42.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ecuador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 81% 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 78.9% less on education
Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 62.0% less on healthcare
Ecuador spends 7.6% 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 2.3 times more coastline
Ecuador has a total of 2,237 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 36.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ecuador, road accidents kill 23.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.1% less strain on fresh water
Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 98.7% less home broadband
Ecuador has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 80.3% less CO2
Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 65.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ecuador vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.