Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Kiribati, you would:
Health
be 38.6% less likely to be obese
In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 89.6% less likely to die by suicide
Kiribati has a suicide rate of 17.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 66.8% less spent on your healthcare
Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 37.5% less access to essential health services
Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
make 18.0% more money
Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 19.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Kiribati, approximately 38.8 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.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Kiribati, 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 11.8% less likely to be literate
In Kiribati, the literacy rate is 98.6% as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 78.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Kiribati, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 94% 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 79.0% less likely to have internet access
In Kiribati, approximately 89.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 32.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Kiribati, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 64% 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 95.2% less on education
Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 73.8% less on healthcare
Kiribati spends 10.9% 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 4.5 times more coastline
Kiribati has a total of 1,143 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 30.6% more likely to be murdered
Kiribati has a homicide rate of 7.2 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2010.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.7 times more home broadband
Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 22.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Kiribati, air pollution causes 49.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 11.9% less CO2
Kiribati emits 0.6 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 (2010–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Kiribati vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.