Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
be 73.1% less likely to die by suicide
Senegal has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Senegal, 0.3% 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 2.7 years less
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Senegal, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 35.3% less spent on your healthcare
Senegal spends $206 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 44.0% fewer doctors per person
Senegal has 1.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 40.0% less access to essential health services
Senegal scores 50 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
make 54.5% more money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $1,955 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Senegal, approximately 237.0 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 72.8% more likely to be literate
In Senegal, the literacy rate is 50.4% as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
have 16.8% fewer children
In Senegal, there are approximately 29.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 72.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Senegal, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 56% 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 68.7% less likely to have internet access
In Senegal, approximately 60.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 39.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Senegal, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 81% 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 87.3% less on education
Senegal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.6% less on healthcare
Senegal spends 4.3% 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 9.7 times more coastline
Senegal has a total of 531 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 28.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Senegal, road accidents kill 20.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.2% less strain on fresh water
Senegal withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 94.3% less home broadband
Senegal has 4.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 41.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Senegal, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.5% less CO2
Senegal emits 0.8 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), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Senegal vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.