Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 17.4 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 South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 70.1% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 38.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 42.8 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 3.0 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 Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 15.1 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 Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 12.0 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.9% 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 Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.6% more likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 92.7% 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 Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 80.7% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 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 South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.2 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 Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
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 South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 6.9 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 53.2% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 53.7% 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 South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 207.8 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 655.5 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 50.0% 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 South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 21.8 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.