Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 11.2 years longer
In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In United States, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.
be 70.0% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 21.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In United States, that number is 36.2% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 17.0 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,800 as of 2022, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $64,600 as of 2022.
be 59.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Papua New Guinea, 37.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In United States, however, that number is 15.1% as of 2010.
be 31.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In United States, that number is 3.6% as of 2022.
Life
be 89.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 192.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In United States, 21.0 women do as of 2020.
be 84.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 33.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In United States, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2022.
have 56.6% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 4.8 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 21% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In United States, 100% of the population do as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 32.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In United States, about 92.0% do as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 48% of people have improved drinking water access (86% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2020. In United States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 4.4 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. United States spends 6.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 7.5 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In United States, that number is 18.8% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 3.9 times more coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.