Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
be 91.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lesotho, 17.1% 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 8.5 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 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 93.6% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 26.0% more likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 65.5% less spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 74.0% fewer doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 43.4% less access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 84.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 2.8 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 60.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Lesotho, approximately 478.0 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 44.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Lesotho, approximately 56.3 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 64.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Lesotho, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 45% 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 63.7% less likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 31.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Lesotho, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 71% 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 88.2% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 77.2% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 75.1% less likely to be murdered
Lesotho has a homicide rate of 37.7 per 100,000 people as of 2008. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2010.
be 31.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.9% less strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 39.5% less home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 62.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 20.9% more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 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 (2008–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.