Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 78.7% less likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 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 Ireland, 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 16.8 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 98.5% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 98.4% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 63.9% less access to essential health services
Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 97.7% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 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 47.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 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 9.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ireland, 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 80.6% less likely to have internet access
In Ireland, approximately 97.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 45.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ireland, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 98% 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 73.1% less on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 58.1% less on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.6 times more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 5.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.4% less strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.3% less home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 91.4% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.