Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Fiji, you would:
Health
be 28.3% less likely to be obese
In Fiji, 39.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 78.0% less likely to die by suicide
Fiji has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 50.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Fiji, 1.0% 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 1.2 years less
In Fiji, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 70 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 75.7% less spent on your healthcare
Fiji spends $548 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 48.3% less access to essential health services
Fiji scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Fiji, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 54.5% less money
Fiji has a GDP per capita of $6,642 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 36.0% more children
In Fiji, there are approximately 17.9 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 6.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Fiji, approximately 30.0 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 33.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Fiji, approximately 23.5 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 79.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Fiji, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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 74.8% less likely to have internet access
In Fiji, approximately 74.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 44.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Fiji, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 91% 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 81.6% less on education
Fiji spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 20.7% less on healthcare
Fiji spends 3.6% 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 4.6 times more coastline
Fiji has a total of 1,129 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Fiji, road accidents kill 5.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 56.7% less strain on fresh water
Fiji withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 87.2% less home broadband
Fiji has 1.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 67.9% less CO2
Fiji emits 1.6 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Fiji vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Fiji? See an in-depth size comparison.