Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 11.5% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% 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 United Arab Emirates, 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 16.8 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 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 96.4% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 98.0% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 63.4% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.4% more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
be 89.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In United Arab Emirates, 19.5% live below the poverty line as of 2003. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.
make 94.0% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 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 63.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 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 12.0% less likely to be literate
In United Arab Emirates, the literacy rate is 98.8% as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 8.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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 United Arab Emirates, 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 81.2% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% 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 United Arab Emirates, 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 79.9% less on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 42.3% less on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% 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 3.9 times more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 100.0% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.4% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 45.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 97.2% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2002–2003), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.