Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 75.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
have 13.0% more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
be 76.0% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.3 years less
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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 3.5 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
have 37.5% less access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 4.5 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 16.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 225.0 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 29.3% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 17.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 38.0 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.
have 22.0% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 31.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 16% of people have electricity access (58% in urban areas, and 6% 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 27.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 70% 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 71.6% less on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 56.0% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% 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 26.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.2 times more likely to be murdered
Malawi has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2010.
Infrastructure
find 2.6 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
live with 99.3% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 11.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 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 (2010–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.