Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Tuvalu, you would:
Health
be 57.0% less likely to be obese
In Tuvalu, 65.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 3.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Tuvalu, 0.4% 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 1.0 years less
In Tuvalu, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 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.
see 92.0% less spent on your healthcare
Tuvalu spends $1,671 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 95.5% fewer doctors per person
Tuvalu has 13.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 42.3% less access to essential health services
Tuvalu scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
make 50.0% less money
Tuvalu has a GDP per capita of $6,041 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 10.6% more children
In Tuvalu, there are approximately 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.0% less likely to be literate
In Tuvalu, the literacy rate is 100.0% as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 89.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Tuvalu, approximately 16.5 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 Tuvalu, 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 76.8% less likely to have internet access
In Tuvalu, approximately 81.2% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Tuvalu, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (98% 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 93.9% less on education
Tuvalu spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 89.4% less on healthcare
Tuvalu spends 27.1% 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 214.7 times more coastline
Tuvalu has a total of 24 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 16.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Tuvalu, road accidents kill 17.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 94.9% less home broadband
Tuvalu has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Tuvalu vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Tuvalu? See an in-depth size comparison.