Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 16.8 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 28.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 49.0 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 2.7 times more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 12.9% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 15.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
be 47.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Papua New Guinea, 37.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In United Arab Emirates, however, that number is 19.5% as of 2003.
make 16.6 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 98.4% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.6% more likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 87.9% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 59.6% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% 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 (84% in urban areas, and 48% in rural areas) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 5.0 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 73.2% more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 74.4% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 60.4% 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 United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 177.6 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 11614.8 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 84.2% 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 United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 35.1 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2002–2003), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.