Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saint Lucia instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
be 73.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Papua New Guinea, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Saint Lucia, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 6.6 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 Saint Lucia, that number is 73 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
see 9.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saint Lucia spends $1,228 as of 2023.
have 69.4 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Saint Lucia has 42.3 as of 2020.
have 2.6 times more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saint Lucia scores 77 as of 2021.
be 24.3% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saint Lucia, that number is 34.8% of people as of 2024.
be 2.9 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 Saint Lucia, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.9 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Saint Lucia, the GDP per capita is $14,746 as of 2025.
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saint Lucia, that number is 9.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 76.7% 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 Saint Lucia, 44.0 women do as of 2023.
be 49.5% 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 Saint Lucia, on the other hand, 15.8 children do as of 2024.
have 53.8% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saint Lucia, there are 11.2 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 Saint Lucia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saint Lucia, about 68.2% do as of 2024.
be 84.1% 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 Saint Lucia, that number is 98% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.9 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Saint Lucia spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 64.8% more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saint Lucia, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.9% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Saint Lucia, that number is 158 km.
Safety
be 40.3% 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 Saint Lucia, they kill 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 59.0 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saint Lucia has 13.6 as of 2022.
live with 110.0 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saint Lucia withdraws 14% as of 2022.
Environment
be 47.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Papua New Guinea, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saint Lucia, it causes 20.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saint Lucia emits 1.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia: At a glance
How big is Saint Lucia compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.