Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uganda instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 2.2 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 Uganda, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 66.2% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 9.5% of people as of 2024.
have 3.1 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Uganda has 1.9 as of 2022.
have 63.3% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Uganda scores 49 as of 2021.
be 3.3 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 Uganda, that number is 4.9% of people as of 2024.
be 3.0 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 Uganda, it is 5.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 60.1% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Uganda, the GDP per capita is $1,206 as of 2025.
Life
have 41.8% more children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uganda, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 11.4% less likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Uganda, it is 77.0% as of 2024.
be 14.7% more 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 Uganda, on the other hand, 35.9 children do as of 2024.
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 Uganda, that number is 52% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 18.2% 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 Uganda, that number is 63% of people on average (80% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 52.4% less likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Uganda, about 8.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.3 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Uganda spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 47.7% more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uganda, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 44.8 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uganda withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 67.3% less CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uganda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 57.9% 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 Uganda, it causes 60.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Uganda
Uganda: At a glance
How big is Uganda compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.