Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of United States, you would:

Health

be 41.2% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 21.3% of people as of 2016.

live 12.5 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

be 43.2% less likely to be unemployed

In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.5% as of 2017.

make 93.8% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $59,800 as of 2017, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,700 as of 2017.

be 2.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 81.5% more children

In United States, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, there are 22.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

be 7.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 19.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Papua New Guinea, 145.0 women do as of 2017.

be 6.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.3 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, 33.2 children do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 77.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In United States, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, 23% of the population do as of 2016.

be 87.2% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Papua New Guinea, about 11.2% do as of 2018.

be 56.6% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In United States, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 43% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 36% in rural areas) as of 2017.

Geography

see 74.1% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Papua New Guinea: At a glance

Papua New Guinea (sometimes abbreviated PNG) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 452,860 sq km. The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.
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How big is Papua New Guinea compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.

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