Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Palau, you would:

Health

be 61.5% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 55.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 21.3% of people as of 2016.

live 5.2 years less

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 75 years (71 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 76.7% less money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $17,600 as of 2019, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,100 as of 2020.

be 47.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Palau, 1.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2015. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.5% as of 2017.

be 48.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Palau, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2006. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 2.5 times more children

In Palau, there are approximately 11.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, there are 29.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 33.5% less likely to be literate

In Palau, the literacy rate is 96.6% as of 2015. In Papua New Guinea, it is 64.2% as of 2015.

be 3.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In Palau, approximately 11.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, 33.6 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 41.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In Palau, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2018. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 59% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 55% in rural areas) as of 2018.

be 69.4% less likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 36.0% of the population has internet access as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, about 11.0% do as of 2019.

be 52.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Palau, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 48% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 84.9% less on healthcare

Palau spends 15.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.3% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 3.4 times more coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Papua New Guinea: At a glance

Papua New Guinea (sometimes abbreviated PNG) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 452,860 sq km. The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.
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How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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