Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nauru instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
see 18.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nauru spends $2,474 as of 2023.
have 100.0% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nauru scores 60 as of 2021.
live 4.0 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 Nauru, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 71.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 4.8 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Nauru, the GDP per capita is $14,640 as of 2025.
Life
be 11.0% more likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Nauru, it is 96.6% as of 2023.
be 75.4% 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 Nauru, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
be 44.4% 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 Nauru, 273.0 women do as of 2023.
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 Nauru, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nauru, about 83.0% do as of 2024.
be 83.6% 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 Nauru, 98% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 7.4 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nauru spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 6.3 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nauru, that number is 18.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.4% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Nauru, that number is 30 km.
Safety
be 46.3% 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 Nauru, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 43.3 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nauru has 10.0 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Nauru
Nauru: At a glance
How big is Nauru compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.