Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Spain, you would:
Health
be 79.1% less likely to die by suicide
Spain has a suicide rate of 8.7 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 Spain, 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 17.6 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 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 82.8% more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 97.3% less spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 98.6% fewer doctors per person
Spain has 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 64.7% less access to essential health services
Spain scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 92.2% less money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.7 times more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 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 63.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 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 12.7% less likely to be literate
In Spain, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 12.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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 Spain, 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 80.4% less likely to have internet access
In Spain, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Spain, 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.
Expenditures
spend 83.0% less on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 68.9% less on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.7% less strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.4% less home broadband
Spain has 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 88.5% less CO2
Spain emits 4.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Spain vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.