Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
be 56.4% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
see 57.0% more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.
have 2.8 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 36.7% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Republic of the Congo scores 41 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Papua New Guinea, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.2% of people as of 2024.
be 3.7 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 Republic of the Congo, it is 6.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 7.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.
make 16.7% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.
Life
be 13.7% 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.
have 25.2% more children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, there are 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 27.5% 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 Republic of the Congo, 241.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 2.5 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 51% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, about 47.2% do as of 2024.
be 37.9% 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 73% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 4.3 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 15.0% more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.7% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 169 km.
Safety
be 43.6% 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 Republic of the Congo, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.5 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Republic of the Congo has 1.3 as of 2023.
live with 76.9% less strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 73.7% 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 Republic of the Congo, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.