Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Guyana, you would:
Health
be 92.7% less likely to die by suicide
Guyana has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.1 years less
In Guyana, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 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.
see 90.0% less spent on your healthcare
Guyana spends $1,331 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 95.6% fewer doctors per person
Guyana has 13.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 60.5% less access to essential health services
Guyana scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Guyana, 12.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 90.7% less money
Guyana has a GDP per capita of $32,414 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 22.2% more children
In Guyana, there are approximately 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Guyana, approximately 75.0 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 34.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Guyana, approximately 23.2 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 79.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Guyana, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 92% 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 77.3% less likely to have internet access
In Guyana, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 44.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guyana, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 96% 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 16.2% more on healthcare
Guyana spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 11.2 times more coastline
Guyana has a total of 459 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Infrastructure
live with 96.1% less strain on fresh water
Guyana withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 98.2% less home broadband
Guyana has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 26.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guyana, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 88.6% less CO2
Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Guyana vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Guyana? See an in-depth size comparison.