Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
see 10.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 13.0 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 2.4 times more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 11.5 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 South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
be 13.5% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 12.3 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 South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.2 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 12.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 37.6% 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 South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.7% 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 South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
have 23.9% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 4.3 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 South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
be 69.2% 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 South Africa, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 7.7 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 3.1 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 45.7% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 64.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Papua New Guinea, road accidents kill 14.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 23.3 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 520.0 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 23.7% 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 South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 13.2 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 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. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.