Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 32.8% less likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mauritania, 0.1% 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 2.4 years less
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 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 16.2% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 55.9% less spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 76.6% fewer doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 25.0% less access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 37.4% more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 50.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mauritania, approximately 381.0 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 29.9% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
have 28.6% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 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 59.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Mauritania, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 1% 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 58.9% less likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 31.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Mauritania, approximately 77% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 59% 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 89.8% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.9% less on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% 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 6.8 times more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 56.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.0% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 75.8% less home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 38.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 46.4% less CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.