Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 9.2 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 Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
see 14.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Brunei spends $1,896 as of 2023.
have 30.9 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Brunei has 18.9 as of 2021.
have 2.6 times more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Brunei scores 78 as of 2021.
be 32.4% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 37.0% of people as of 2024.
be 67.6% more likely to die by suicide
Papua New Guinea has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Brunei, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 10.7 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 81.0% 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 Brunei, 36.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.2% more likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Brunei, it is 97.6% as of 2021.
be 72.5% 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 Brunei, on the other hand, 8.6 children do as of 2024.
have 45.1% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Brunei, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Brunei, about 96.3% do as of 2024.
be 87.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 53% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Brunei, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.3% less on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Brunei, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.9% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 94.7% less likely to be murdered
Papua New Guinea has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2010. In Brunei, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2013.
be 75.8% 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 Brunei, they kill 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.1 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Brunei has 21.2 as of 2024.
live with 26.7 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Brunei withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 47.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Papua New Guinea, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Brunei, it causes 20.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.9 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.