Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Malta, you would:
Health
be 71.9% less likely to die by suicide
Malta has a suicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malta, 0.3% 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 16.7 years less
In Malta, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 97.7% less spent on your healthcare
Malta spends $5,706 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 98.6% fewer doctors per person
Malta has 45.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 64.7% less access to essential health services
Malta scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Malta, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 93.7% less money
Malta has a GDP per capita of $47,907 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Malta, there are approximately 7.7 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 23.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malta, approximately 8.0 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 6.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Malta, approximately 4.7 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 Malta, 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 80.0% less likely to have internet access
In Malta, approximately 93.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Malta, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 83.4% less on education
Malta spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 67.5% less on healthcare
Malta spends 8.8% 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 26.2 times more coastline
Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 7.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Malta, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
Malta withdraws 73% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.5% less home broadband
Malta has 44.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 83.6% less CO2
Malta emits 3.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 81.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malta, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malta vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.