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

Health

be 80.0% 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 Italy, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 17.7 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 Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 50.0% less likely to be obese

In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 37.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.

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have 68.7 times more doctors per person

Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.

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have 2.8 times more access to essential health services

Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Italy scores 84 as of 2021.

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be 3.8 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 Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 14.3 times more money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 96.8% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 14.2% more likely to be literate

In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Italy, it is 99.3% as of 2019.

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be 92.7% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 74.1% fewer children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 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 Italy, 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 4.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Italy, about 89.2% do as of 2024.

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be 87.5% 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 Italy, 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 5.2 times more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Italy spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 2.9 times more on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 47.5% more coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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Safety

be 66.4% 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 Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 138.2 times more home broadband

Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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live with 229.0 times more strain on fresh water

Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 60.5% 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 Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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emit 9.8 times more CO2

Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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