Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 15.6 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 Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 51.4% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
be 3.0 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 Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 13.5 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 94.2% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.7% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 76.5% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 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 Puerto Rico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
be 87.6% 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 Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 5.5 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 90.3% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 16.1% 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 Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 121.7 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 150.3 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 9.3 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.