If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Sudan, you would:

Health

see 4.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Sudan spends $28 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.

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be 42.4% less likely to die by suicide

Sudan has a suicide rate of 3.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 7.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sudan, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.

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be 57.3% more likely to be obese

In Sudan, 17.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.

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have 31.8% less access to essential health services

Sudan scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 77.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Sudan, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.

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make 2.6 times more money

Sudan has a GDP per capita of $1,165 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.

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Life

be 26.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sudan, approximately 256.0 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.

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be 27.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Sudan, approximately 42.9 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.

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have 26.4% fewer children

In Sudan, there are approximately 33.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 68.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Sudan, approximately 66% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 54% 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.

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be 34.5% less likely to have internet access

In Sudan, approximately 28.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.

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be 17.9% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Sudan, approximately 65% of people have access to drinking water (74% in urban areas, and 60% 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.

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Geography

see 6.0 times more coastline

Sudan has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.

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Safety

be 24.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Sudan, road accidents kill 19.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 3.8 times more home broadband

Sudan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.

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live with 99.9% less strain on fresh water

Sudan withdraws 119% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 45.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Sudan, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.

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emit 20.9% more CO2

Sudan emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2023), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Papua New Guinea: At a glance

Papua New Guinea (sometimes abbreviated PNG) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 452,860 sq km. The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.
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How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Sudan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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