Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kiribati instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.
have 60.0% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.
be 62.9% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.
be 9.6 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 Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 15.3% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.
Life
be 57.7% 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 Kiribati, 80.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.3% more likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Kiribati, it is 98.6% as of 2020.
be 24.0% 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 Kiribati, on the other hand, 38.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 4.7 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 Kiribati, that number is 96% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kiribati, about 89.4% do as of 2024.
be 48.3% 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 Kiribati, that number is 79% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.0 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 3.8 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 77.8% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.
Safety
be 23.4% less likely to be murdered
Papua New Guinea has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2010. In Kiribati, that number is 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2012.
be 58.4% 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 Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 87.0% less home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 28.9% 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 Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.
emit 13.5% more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Kiribati
Kiribati: At a glance
How big is Kiribati compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.