Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 30.2% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 15.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Saudi Arabia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
live 12.7 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 96.2% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 98.2% fewer doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 59.5% less access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
be 91.6% more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 91.3% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 47.2% more children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 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 27.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 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 11.2% less likely to be literate
In Saudi Arabia, the literacy rate is 97.9% as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 6.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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 Saudi Arabia, 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 81.2% less likely to have internet access
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% 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.
Expenditures
spend 82.6% less on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 49.6% less on healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% 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 95.2% more coastline
Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 19.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 100.0% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.5% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 58.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 97.2% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Saudi Arabia vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.