Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
be 58.6% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
see 83.3% more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 5.3 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 86.7% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 6.3 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 Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
be 3.9 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 Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 56.4% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
be 55.0% 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 Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
have 34.7% more children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 17.5% less likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 10.5% 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 Zambia, on the other hand, 34.6 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 Zambia, that number is 51% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 37.7% 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 Zambia, that number is 73% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 5.2 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 14.8% 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 Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.4 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 21.8 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 31.6% 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 Zambia, it causes 50.0 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. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.