If you lived in Bangladesh 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 Bangladesh, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 8.7 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 Bangladesh, that number is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 79.5% less likely to be obese

In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bangladesh, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 49.3% more spent on your healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bangladesh spends $199 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 11.8 times more doctors per person

Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bangladesh has 7.2 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 73.3% more access to essential health services

Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bangladesh scores 52 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 54.4% more likely to die by suicide

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

View global rankings →

Economy

be 47.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bangladesh, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 14.0% less money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Bangladesh, the GDP per capita is $2,597 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 39.2% 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 Bangladesh, 115.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 22.0% 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 Bangladesh, on the other hand, 24.4 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 17.7% fewer children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bangladesh, there are 20.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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 Bangladesh, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bangladesh, about 53.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 85.3% 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 Bangladesh, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 24.4% less on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bangladesh, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 2.6 times more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bangladesh spends 2.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 88.7% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Bangladesh, that number is 580 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 24.8% more likely to die in a road accident

In Papua New Guinea, road accidents kill 14.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bangladesh, they kill 18.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 35.2 times more home broadband

Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bangladesh has 8.1 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 44.0 times more strain on fresh water

Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bangladesh withdraws 6% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 73.7% 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 Bangladesh, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 38.5% more CO2

Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bangladesh emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


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

Bangladesh: At a glance

Bangladesh is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 130,170 sq km. Muslim conversions and settlement in the region now referred to as Bangladesh began in the 10th century, primarily from Arab and Persian traders and preachers. Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area in the 16th century. Eventually the area known as Bengal, primarily Hindu in the western section and mostly Muslim in the eastern half, became part of British India. Partition in 1947 resulted in an eastern wing of Pakistan in the Muslim-majority area, which became East Pakistan. Calls for greater autonomy and animosity between the eastern and western wings of Pakistan led to a Bengali independence movement. That movement, led by the Awami League (AL) and supported by India, won independence for Bangladesh in a brief war in 1971, during which at least 300,000 civilians died. The post-independence, AL government faced daunting challenges and in 1975 was overthrown by the military, triggering a series of military coups that resulted in a military-backed government and subsequent creation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). That government also ended in a coup in 1981, followed by military-backed rule until democratic elections in 1991. The BNP and AL have alternately held power since then, with the exception of a military-backed, emergency caretaker regime that suspended parliamentary elections planned for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption. That government returned the country to fully democratic rule in December 2008 with the election of the AL and Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA. In January 2014, the AL won the national election by an overwhelming majority after the BNP boycotted, extending HASINA's term as prime minister. With the help of international development assistance, Bangladesh has made great progress in food security since independence, and the economy has grown at an average of about 6 percent over the last two decades.
Read more

How big is Bangladesh compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Bangladesh or Papua New Guinea. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.