Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
be 53.3% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
be 76.1% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
have 3.4 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 40.0% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
live 4.2 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 56.6% less spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
be 4.8 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 72.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
make 73.3% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 68.3% more children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, 427.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.3% less likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 80.2% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 56.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 33.1% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.6 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 28.2% more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.3% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Infrastructure
find 87.0% less home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
live with 76.9% more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo 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. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 89.5% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.