Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 65.8% less likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 92.4% more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 43.3% less spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 77.1% fewer doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 37.5% less access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 19.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 234.0 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 13.7% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 13.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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 77.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% 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 73.9% less likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 40.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 76% 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 73.2% less on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.6 times more coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 42.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.9% less strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 65.2% less home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 57.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 25.7% less CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 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: Ghana vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.