Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guam instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 11.2 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 Guam, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 37.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Papua New Guinea, 37.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Guam, however, that number is 23.0% as of 2001.
make 13.9 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Guam, the GDP per capita is $41,833 as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guam, that number is 5.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 63.4% 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 Guam, on the other hand, 11.5 children do as of 2022.
have 28.6% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guam, there are 17.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Guam, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guam, about 80.5% do as of 2021.
be 86.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 53% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Guam, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Geography
see 97.6% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Guam, that number is 126 km.
Infrastructure
find 8.0 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guam has 1.8 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2001–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Guam
Guam: At a glance
How big is Guam compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.