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

Health

be 60.2% less likely to be obese

In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Haiti, that number is 11.1% of people as of 2024.

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have 4.8 times more doctors per person

Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Haiti has 2.9 as of 2022.

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have 80.0% more access to essential health services

Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Haiti scores 54 as of 2021.

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live 1.1 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 Haiti, that number is 65 years (62 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 21.3% less spent on your healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Haiti spends $105 as of 2023.

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be 4.3 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 Haiti, it is 7.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 5.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Haiti, that number is 14.9% as of 2025.

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make 10.8% less money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Haiti, the GDP per capita is $2,694 as of 2025.

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Life

be 73.5% 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 Haiti, 328.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 24.6% 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 Haiti, on the other hand, 39.0 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 2.5 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 Haiti, that number is 51% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 3% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Haiti, about 47.9% do as of 2024.

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be 37.6% 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 Haiti, that number is 73% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 55% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 23.1% more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Haiti spends 1.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 11.1% more on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Haiti, that number is 3.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 65.6% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Haiti, that number is 1,771 km.

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Safety

be 2.1 times 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 Haiti, they kill 31.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 34.8% more home broadband

Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Haiti has 0.3 as of 2022.

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live with 102.9 times more strain on fresh water

Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Haiti withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 42.3% less CO2

Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Haiti emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 31.6% 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 Haiti, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.

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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

Haiti: At a glance

Haiti is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 27,560 sq km. The native Taino - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first post-colonial black-led nation in the world, declaring its independence in 1804. Currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has experienced political instability for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations. Continued instability and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti inaugurated a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006. This was followed by contested elections in 2010 that resulted in the election of Haiti's current President, Michel MARTELLY. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 25 km (15 mi) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Estimates are that over 300,000 people were killed and some 1.5 million left homeless. The earthquake was assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years.
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