Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 34.0% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 66.4% less likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 15.6 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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.
Economy
be 57.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 92.6% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.3 times more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 17.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 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.
be 5.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, 31.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Puerto Rico, 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.
be 78.5% less likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, 53% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 81.7% less on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 10.3 times more coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 19.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.3% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.2% less home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 89.2% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.