Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 56.5% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 84.8% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.6 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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.
see 72.0% less spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 89.1% fewer doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 45.5% less access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 48.6% less money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 87.1% more likely to die during childbirth
In Samoa, approximately 101.0 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 12.2% less likely to be literate
In Samoa, the literacy rate is 99.1% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Samoa, approximately 12.3 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.
Basic Needs
be 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Samoa, 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 75.0% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Samoa, approximately 99% 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.
Expenditures
spend 85.7% less on education
Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 57.7% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 12.8 times more coastline
Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 55.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 73.9% less home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 67.5% less CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 11.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.