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

Health

live 16.1 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 Finland, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 13.5% less likely to be obese

In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Finland, that number is 24.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 48.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Finland spends $6,433 as of 2023.

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have 59.2 times more doctors per person

Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Finland has 36.1 as of 2021.

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have 2.9 times more access to essential health services

Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Finland scores 86 as of 2021.

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be 8.0 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 Finland, it is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 18.6 times more money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Finland, the GDP per capita is $56,149 as of 2025.

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be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Finland, that number is 9.5% as of 2025.

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Life

be 95.8% less 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 Finland, 8.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 93.9% less 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 Finland, on the other hand, 1.9 children do as of 2024.

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have 67.9% fewer children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Finland, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 4.9 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 Finland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 5.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Finland, about 93.7% do as of 2024.

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be 87.6% 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 Finland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 8.2 times more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Finland spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 3.6 times more on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Finland, that number is 10.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 75.7% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Finland, that number is 1,250 km.

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Safety

be 71.8% 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 Finland, they kill 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 158.6 times more home broadband

Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Finland has 36.5 as of 2024.

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live with 54.7 times more strain on fresh water

Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Finland withdraws 7% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 81.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Papua New Guinea, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Finland, it causes 7.0 as of 2019.

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emit 10.7 times more CO2

Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Finland emits 5.5 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

Finland: At a glance

Finland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 303,815 sq km. Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.
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