Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 19.9% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 92.6% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 12.0 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 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 95.8% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 98.7% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 63.4% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 65.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 88.0% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Uruguay, 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 12.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Uruguay, approximately 15.0 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 Uruguay, the literacy rate is 98.9% as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 5.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Uruguay, approximately 6.2 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 Uruguay, 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 79.6% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Uruguay, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% 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 83.6% less on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 68.2% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% 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 7.8 times more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 14.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.9% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.3% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 79.8% less CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 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: Uruguay vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.