Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia 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 Ethiopia, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
live 1.3 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 Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 89.6% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.
have 2.3 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Ethiopia has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 16.7% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.
see 35.5% less spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.
be 3.3 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 Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 29.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 69.1% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.
Life
have 29.6% more children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ethiopia, there are 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 30.5% less likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.
be 10.2% 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 Ethiopia, on the other hand, 34.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.7 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 Ethiopia, that number is 55% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 16.6% more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.9 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ethiopia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 18.8% 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 Ethiopia, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.6 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 248.2 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 71.2% less CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 21.1% 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 Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Ethiopia
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.