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

Health

be 93.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Papua New Guinea, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 13.5 years longer

In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 13.8% less likely to be obese

In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 11.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Albania spends $1,465 as of 2023.

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have 30.8 times more doctors per person

Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Albania has 18.8 as of 2020.

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have 2.1 times more access to essential health services

Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Albania scores 64 as of 2021.

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be 51.1% more likely to die by suicide

Papua New Guinea has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Albania, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 4.3 times more money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Albania, the GDP per capita is $12,998 as of 2025.

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be 4.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Albania, that number is 10.9% as of 2025.

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Life

be 96.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 189.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Albania, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 12.3% more likely to be literate

In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Albania, it is 97.7% as of 2023.

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be 73.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 31.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Albania, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 58.3% fewer children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Albania, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 4.9 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 13% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 4.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Albania, about 85.9% do as of 2024.

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be 78.5% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 53% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 48% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 95% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 4.0 times more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Albania spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 2.5 times more on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 93.0% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Albania, that number is 362 km.

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Safety

be 27.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Papua New Guinea, road accidents kill 14.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Albania, they kill 10.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 108.2 times more home broadband

Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Albania has 24.9 as of 2024.

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live with 36.8 times more strain on fresh water

Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Albania withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 55.3% more likely to die from air pollution

In Papua New Guinea, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Albania, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.4 times more CO2

Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Albania emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Albania: At a glance

Albania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 27,398 sq km. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
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