If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of France, you would:

Health

be 89.0% less likely to die by suicide

France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 5.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In France, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.

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live 16.7 years less

In France, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 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.

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be 2.5 times more likely to be obese

In France, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 98.1% less spent on your healthcare

France spends $6,868 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.

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have 98.1% fewer doctors per person

France has 32.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.

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have 64.7% less access to essential health services

France scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 65.9% less likely to be unemployed

In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.

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make 93.8% less money

France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.5 times more children

In France, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 27.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In France, approximately 7.0 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.

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be 9.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In France, approximately 3.4 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.

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Basic Needs

be 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In France, 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.

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be 78.8% less likely to have internet access

In France, approximately 88.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.

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be 46.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In France, 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.

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Expenditures

spend 85.3% less on education

France spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 75.1% less on healthcare

France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 3.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 99.4% less strain on fresh water

France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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find 99.5% less home broadband

France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 87.0% less CO2

France emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 3.8 times more likely to die from air pollution

In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Papua New Guinea: At a glance

Papua New Guinea (sometimes abbreviated PNG) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 452,860 sq km. The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.
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How big is Papua New Guinea compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.

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