Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 91.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% 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 11.9% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 91.8% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 90.2% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 92.3% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 57.7% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 92.1% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 54.2% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 31.4% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 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 60.2% more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 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 29.3% more likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 24.2 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.
Basic Needs
be 76.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 94% 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 76.0% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 40.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 73% 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 87.0% less on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 67.8% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% 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 84.1% more coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 39.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 95.7% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 19.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 92.4% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 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: South Africa vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.