If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:

Health

be 31.4% less likely to be obese

In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 19.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 4.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Equatorial Guinea spends $609 as of 2023.

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have 2.5 times more doctors per person

Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 as of 2022.

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have 53.3% more access to essential health services

Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Equatorial Guinea scores 46 as of 2021.

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live 2.4 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 3.9 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 Equatorial Guinea, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 2.2 times more money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Equatorial Guinea, the GDP per capita is $6,615 as of 2025.

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be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.

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Life

have 23.5% more children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, there are 30.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 52.1% 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 Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 47.6 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 3.3 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, about 63.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 22.0% more on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 94.3% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 296 km.

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Safety

be 21.5% 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 Equatorial Guinea, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 56.5% less home broadband

Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 as of 2022.

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live with 38.5% more strain on fresh water

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

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Environment

be 55.3% 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 Equatorial Guinea, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 4.9 times more CO2

Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Equatorial Guinea: At a glance

Equatorial Guinea is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 28,051 sq km. Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro Obiang NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996, 2002, and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999, 2004, 2008, and 2013 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, improvements in the population's living standards have been slow to develop.
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