Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Thailand, you would:
Health
be 89.0% less likely to die by suicide
Thailand has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 50.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Thailand, 1.0% 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 10.3 years less
In Thailand, the average life expectancy is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 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 71.1% more likely to be obese
In Thailand, 16.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 87.5% less spent on your healthcare
Thailand spends $1,067 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 88.7% fewer doctors per person
Thailand has 5.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 63.4% less access to essential health services
Thailand scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Thailand, 0.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 62.5% less money
Thailand has a GDP per capita of $8,057 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Thailand, there are approximately 8.1 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 5.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Thailand, approximately 34.0 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 4.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Thailand, approximately 7.7 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 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Thailand, 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 79.3% less likely to have internet access
In Thailand, approximately 90.9% 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 Thailand, 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 69.0% less on education
Thailand spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.8% less on healthcare
Thailand spends 4.5% 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 60.0% more coastline
Thailand has a total of 3,219 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 41.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Thailand, road accidents kill 25.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 95.8% more likely to be murdered
Thailand has a homicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2011. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2010.
Infrastructure
live with 99.4% less strain on fresh water
Thailand withdraws 23% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 98.5% less home broadband
Thailand has 14.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 86.9% less CO2
Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 31.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Thailand, air pollution causes 29.0 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 (2010–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Thailand vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Thailand? See an in-depth size comparison.