Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
be 33.3% less likely to be obese
In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
live 0.8 years less
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 84.8% less spent on your healthcare
Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 49.2% less access to essential health services
Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
make 64.4% less money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 20.9% more children
In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 21.9% more likely to die during childbirth
In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 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 37.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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 Marshall Islands, 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 71.5% less likely to have internet access
In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 39.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Marshall Islands, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 94% 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 89.9% less on education
Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 78.6% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.4% 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 13.9 times more coastline
Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 25.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 90.2% less home broadband
Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.