Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Iowa, you would:
Health
live 8.1 years less
In Iowa, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 19.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iowa, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.
make 93.4% less money
Iowa has a GDP per capita of $63,747 as of 2024, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 63.6% less likely to have internet access
In Iowa, approximately 87.9% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Compare further: Iowa vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Iowa? See an in-depth size comparison.