Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
see 41.3% more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
be 62.2% less likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.4% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% 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 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
have 32.2% fewer doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 34.8% less access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 3.3 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 46.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 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 68.5% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
have 18.7% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 69.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 62.0% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 38.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% 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 72.2% less on education
Gambia spends 2.8% 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 64.4 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 32.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.1% less strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 55.8% less home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 57.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 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: Gambia vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.