Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Guam, you would:
Health
live 11.2 years less
In Guam, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 82 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.
Economy
be 53.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Guam, 5.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
be 60.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Guam, 23.0% live below the poverty line as of 2001. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.
make 92.8% less money
Guam has a GDP per capita of $41,833 as of 2022, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 40.1% more children
In Guam, there are approximately 17.3 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 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Guam, approximately 11.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, 31.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Guam, 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.
be 76.6% less likely to have internet access
In Guam, approximately 80.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guam, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, 53% of people do as of 2024.
Geography
see 41.1 times more coastline
Guam has a total of 126 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Infrastructure
find 87.5% less home broadband
Guam has 1.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2001–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guam vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Guam? See an in-depth size comparison.