If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Paraguay, you would:

Health

be 19.3% less likely to be obese

In Paraguay, 34.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.

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be 71.4% less likely to die by suicide

Paraguay has a suicide rate of 6.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 3.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Paraguay, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.

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live 7.7 years less

In Paraguay, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 90.9% less spent on your healthcare

Paraguay spends $1,469 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.

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have 98.4% fewer doctors per person

Paraguay has 38.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.

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have 58.3% less access to essential health services

Paraguay scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 46.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Paraguay, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.

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make 57.0% less money

Paraguay has a GDP per capita of $7,027 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.

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Life

have 23.1% more children

In Paraguay, there are approximately 19.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 3.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Paraguay, approximately 58.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, 189.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Paraguay, approximately 14.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, 31.3 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In Paraguay, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 20% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 13% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 76.9% less likely to have internet access

In Paraguay, approximately 81.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.

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be 46.5% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Paraguay, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 53% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 48% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 77.9% less on education

Paraguay spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 65.7% less on healthcare

Paraguay spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 29.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Paraguay, road accidents kill 21.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 92.9% less strain on fresh water

Paraguay withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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find 98.2% less home broadband

Paraguay has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 55.2% less CO2

Paraguay emits 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 52.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Paraguay, air pollution causes 25.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Papua New Guinea: At a glance

Papua New Guinea (sometimes abbreviated PNG) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 452,860 sq km. The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.
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How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Paraguay? See an in-depth size comparison.

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