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

Health

live 19.6 years less

In San Marino, the average life expectancy is 86 years (84 years for men, 87 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.

View global rankings →

see 97.5% less spent on your healthcare

San Marino spends $5,231 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 98.7% fewer doctors per person

San Marino has 46.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 61.0% less access to essential health services

San Marino scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 95.0% less money

San Marino has a GDP per capita of $59,871 as of 2023, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 5.8 times more children

In San Marino, there are approximately 4.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 23.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In San Marino, approximately 8.0 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.

View global rankings →

be 12.9% less likely to be literate

In San Marino, the literacy rate is 99.9% as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 26.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In San Marino, approximately 1.2 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In San Marino, 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.

View global rankings →

be 80.7% less likely to have internet access

In San Marino, approximately 97.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 46.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In San Marino, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 73.1% less on education

San Marino spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 56.6% less on healthcare

San Marino spends 6.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident

In San Marino, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 99.4% less home broadband

San Marino has 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). 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.
Read more

How big is Papua New Guinea compared to San Marino? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Papua New Guinea or San Marino. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.