Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
be 93.3% 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 Syria, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 6.3 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 Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
have 24.9 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
be 67.6% less likely to die by suicide
Papua New Guinea has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 17.9% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 5.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 65.0% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
be 89.4% 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.5% 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do 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 Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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 Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
be 76.6% 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 Syria, that number is 94% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Geography
see 96.3% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 77.7% less likely to be murdered
Papua New Guinea has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2010. In Syria, that number is 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2010.
be 2.0 times 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 Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 29.8 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 956.6 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.2 times 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 Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.