Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 31.7% less likely to be obese
In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 88.4% less likely to die by suicide
United States has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 12.6 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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 99.0% less spent on your healthcare
United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 98.3% fewer doctors per person
United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 65.1% less access to essential health services
United States scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.8% less likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 96.6% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In United States, there are approximately 10.6 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 11.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 17.0 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 5.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 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 United States, 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 80.1% less likely to have internet access
In United States, approximately 94.7% 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 States, 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 85.6% less on education
United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 82.8% less on healthcare
United States spends 16.7% 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 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.
Infrastructure
live with 99.5% less strain on fresh water
United States withdraws 28% 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 States has 38.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 96.2% less CO2
United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United States vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.