Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 88.0% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Latvia, 0.5% 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 10.2 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 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 25.5% more likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 95.6% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 98.2% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 60.0% less access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 88.5% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.5 times more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 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 9.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 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 12.9% less likely to be literate
In Latvia, the literacy rate is 99.9% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 14.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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 Latvia, 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 79.7% less likely to have internet access
In Latvia, approximately 92.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Latvia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 99% 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 81.9% less on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 60.6% less on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% 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 10.3 times more coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 52.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 87.3% less strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.1% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 85.8% less CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.