Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 7.3 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 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 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 11.1% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
be 77.1% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Somalia, 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.
be 87.7% more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 86.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 4.6 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 66.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 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 60.8% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 52.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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.
have 42.6% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 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 59.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% 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 32.7% less likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 29.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 68% 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 23.3% less on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% 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 70.3% more coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 26.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.5% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 68.1% less home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 40.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.4 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 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: Somalia vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.