Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Uganda, you would:
Health
be 69.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Uganda, 4.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
be 66.9% less likely to die by suicide
Uganda has a suicide rate of 5.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.2 years less
In Uganda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 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.
be 3.0 times more likely to be obese
In Uganda, 9.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
have 68.1% fewer doctors per person
Uganda has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 38.8% less access to essential health services
Uganda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.5 times more money
Uganda has a GDP per capita of $1,206 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 12.9% more likely to be literate
In Uganda, the literacy rate is 77.0% as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 12.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Uganda, approximately 35.9 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.
have 29.5% fewer children
In Uganda, there are approximately 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Uganda, approximately 8.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 60.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Uganda, approximately 52% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 42% 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 15.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Uganda, approximately 63% of people have access to drinking water (80% in urban areas, and 57% 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 69.5% less on education
Uganda spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 32.3% less on healthcare
Uganda spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 97.8% less strain on fresh water
Uganda withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 36.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Uganda, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.1 times more CO2
Uganda emits 0.2 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), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uganda vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Uganda? See an in-depth size comparison.