Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Swaziland, you would:
Health
be 93.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Swaziland, 23.4% 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 2.0 years longer
In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 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 93.3% less likely to die by suicide
Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 85.6% less spent on your healthcare
Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 89.0% fewer doctors per person
Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 46.4% less access to essential health services
Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 92.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 26.5% less money
Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 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.
be 60.2% more likely to die during childbirth
In Swaziland, 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.
Basic Needs
be 76.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% 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 70.3% less likely to have internet access
In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 33.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 74% 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 87.1% less on education
Swaziland 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 61.7% less on healthcare
Swaziland spends 7.5% 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 39.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 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
Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 90.8% less home broadband
Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 42.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Swaziland, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 40.9% less CO2
Swaziland emits 0.9 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Swaziland vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.