Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burma instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
be 40.0% 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 Burma, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2024.
live 0.8 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 Burma, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 71.0% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2024.
see 2.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burma spends $283 as of 2023.
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. Burma scores 52 as of 2021.
be 58.8% more likely to die by suicide
Papua New Guinea has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burma, it is 2.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burma, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 50.7% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Burma, the GDP per capita is $1,489 as of 2025.
Life
have 32.2% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burma, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 3.7 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 Burma, that number is 77% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burma, about 44.0% do as of 2021.
be 60.8% 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 Burma, that number is 86% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 55.4% more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burma, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 62.5% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Burma, that number is 1,930 km.
Safety
be 29.5% 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 Burma, they kill 19.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.5 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burma has 2.9 as of 2024.
live with 44.6 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burma withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 86.8% 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 Burma, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
emit 11.5% more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burma emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Burma
Burma: At a glance
How big is Burma compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.