Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Central African Republic instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
be 61.0% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2024.
have 21.3% more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Central African Republic has 0.7 as of 2023.
be 60.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Papua New Guinea, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
live 8.6 years less
In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
be 5.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Papua New Guinea has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Central African Republic, it is 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Central African Republic, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
make 81.6% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Central African Republic, the GDP per capita is $556 as of 2025.
Life
have 90.2% more children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Central African Republic, there are 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.7 times more 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 Central African Republic, 692.0 women do as of 2023.
be 56.9% less likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Central African Republic, it is 37.5% as of 2020.
be 87.9% more 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 Central African Republic, on the other hand, 58.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.1% less 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 Central African Republic, that number is 18% of people on average (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 26.7% less likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Central African Republic, about 13.8% do as of 2024.
be 31.5% less 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 Central African Republic, that number is 36% of people on average (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Central African Republic spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 3.7 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 73.8% 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 Central African Republic, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 91.3% less home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Central African Republic has 0.0 as of 2022.
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Central African Republic withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 88.5% less CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.6 times 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 Central African Republic, it causes 98.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Central African Republic
Central African Republic: At a glance
How big is Central African Republic compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.