Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 12.7 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 New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
make 9.7 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.
be 4.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2025.
Life
have 42.2% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 14.0 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 New Caledonia, 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 New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.
be 86.8% 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 New Caledonia, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Geography
see 56.2% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.
Safety
be 67.0% less likely to be murdered
Papua New Guinea has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2010. In New Caledonia, that number is 3.1 per 100,000 as of 2009.
Infrastructure
find 84.2 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Caledonia has 19.4 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 32.8 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021), United Nations SDG Indicators (2009–2010). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. New Caledonia
New Caledonia: At a glance
How big is New Caledonia compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.