Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 20.5% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 36.4% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Jamaica, 1.1% 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 5.3 years less
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 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 84.7% less spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 86.7% fewer doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 59.5% less access to essential health services
Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 21.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 62.3% less money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 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 45.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 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 90.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 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 79.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Jamaica, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 96% 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 79.1% less likely to have internet access
In Jamaica, approximately 90.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 39.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% 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 85.8% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 62.2% less on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% 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 5.0 times more coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 16.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.9% less strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 98.6% less home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 81.7% less CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 72.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Jamaica vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.