Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 15.2% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 15.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Syria, 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.
live 6.3 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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.
have 96.0% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 53.1% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
be 3.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 2.9 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 9.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 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 76.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 76.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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 59.6% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 43.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Syria, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% 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.
Geography
see 26.7 times more coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 50.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.5 times more likely to be murdered
Syria has a homicide rate of 2.1 per 100,000 people as of 2010. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2010.
Infrastructure
live with 99.9% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 96.6% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 54.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 59.1% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 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 (2010–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.