Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 12.6 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 States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 101.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 60.3 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
have 2.9 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 States scores 86 as of 2021.
be 46.3% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
be 8.6 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 United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 29.8 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
be 63.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 91.0% 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 States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 82.4% 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 States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 56.4% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 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 States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.0 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 States, about 94.7% 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 States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) 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. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 5.8 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
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.
Infrastructure
find 169.0 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
live with 216.6 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 63.2% 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 United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 26.2 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.