Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Pakistan, you would:
Health
be 67.7% less likely to die by suicide
Pakistan has a suicide rate of 5.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 7.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Pakistan, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
live 1.5 years less
In Pakistan, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 years for men, 70 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 14.2% more likely to be obese
In Pakistan, 24.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 12.6% less spent on your healthcare
Pakistan spends $152 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 94.7% fewer doctors per person
Pakistan has 11.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 33.3% less access to essential health services
Pakistan scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Pakistan, 5.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 89.2% more money
Pakistan has a GDP per capita of $1,596 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 47.8% more likely to be literate
In Pakistan, the literacy rate is 58.9% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 35.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Pakistan, approximately 48.2 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.
be 21.9% more likely to die during childbirth
In Pakistan, 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.
have 11.4% fewer children
In Pakistan, there are approximately 27.4 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 78.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Pakistan, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 93% 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 67.1% less likely to have internet access
In Pakistan, approximately 57.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 41.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Pakistan, approximately 91% of people have access to drinking water (93% in urban areas, and 89% 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 60.0% less on education
Pakistan spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 13.9% more on healthcare
Pakistan spends 2.5% 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 4.9 times more coastline
Pakistan has a total of 1,046 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 Pakistan, 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
live with 99.9% less strain on fresh water
Pakistan withdraws 110% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 84.4% less home broadband
Pakistan has 1.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 63.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Pakistan, air pollution causes 105.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 35.8% less CO2
Pakistan 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), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Pakistan vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Pakistan? See an in-depth size comparison.