Quality of life comparison
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 11.2 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 23.8% less likely to be unemployed
In United States, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.8% as of 2022.
make 94.1% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $64,600 as of 2022, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,800 as of 2022.
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 2.3 times more children
In United States, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, 192.0 women do as of 2020.
be 6.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, 33.6 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 79.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In United States, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, 21% of the population do as of 2021.
be 65.2% less likely to have internet access
In United States, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.
be 52.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In United States, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 48% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 77.0% less on education
United States spends 6.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 86.7% less on healthcare
United States spends 18.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2020.
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
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.