Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 0.8 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 6.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.
have 96.7% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Marshall Islands scores 59 as of 2021.
be 49.9% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.8 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.
Life
be 18.0% 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 Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.1% more likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Marshall Islands, it is 95.8% as of 2021.
be 27.5% 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 Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 22.7 children do as of 2024.
have 17.3% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, about 65.9% do as of 2024.
be 64.1% 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 87% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 9.9 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 4.7 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.8% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.
Safety
be 20.1% 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 Marshall Islands, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.2 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: At a glance
How big is Marshall Islands compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.