Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
be 46.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gabon, 2.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
be 75.1% less likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.2 years less
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 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 23.5% more likely to be obese
In Gabon, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 80.2% less spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 88.3% fewer doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 38.8% less access to essential health services
Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 87.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 63.5% less money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 18.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 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 20.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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.
have 10.5% fewer children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 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 78.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gabon, approximately 94% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 29% 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 72.6% less likely to have internet access
In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 39.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 49% 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 66.4% less on education
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.8 times more coastline
Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 19.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 74.0% less strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 95.1% less home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 28.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 74.6% less CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 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. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.