Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 19.8% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 57.1% less likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 8.8 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 80.7% less spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 57.1% less access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
Life
have 26.9% more children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 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 3.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 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 3.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Nicaragua, approximately 9.4 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 76.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Nicaragua, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 71% 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 69.4% less likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 72.8% less on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 65.4% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% 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 5.7 times more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Infrastructure
live with 94.1% less strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 96.0% less home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 37.3% less CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 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), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.