Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of India, you would:
Health
be 85.5% less likely to die by suicide
India has a suicide rate of 12.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 7.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In India, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
live 6.0 years less
In India, the average life expectancy is 72 years (71 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.
be 3.5 times more likely to be obese
In India, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 61.6% less spent on your healthcare
India spends $346 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 91.6% fewer doctors per person
India has 7.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 52.4% less access to essential health services
India scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.1% less likely to be unemployed
In India, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 11.7% more money
India has a GDP per capita of $2,702 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 11.3% more likely to be literate
In India, the literacy rate is 78.2% as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
have 52.0% more children
In India, there are approximately 16.0 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 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In India, approximately 80.0 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 34.3% more likely to die during infancy
In India, approximately 23.3 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 79.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In India, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 73.1% less likely to have internet access
In India, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 44.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In India, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 95% 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 81.0% less on education
India spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 14.1% less on healthcare
India spends 3.3% 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 26.4% less coastline
India has a total of 7,000 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Infrastructure
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
India withdraws 66% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 92.7% less home broadband
India has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 54.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In India, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 76.0% less CO2
India emits 2.2 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: India vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to India? See an in-depth size comparison.