Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 84.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
be 74.5% less likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 45.4% less spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
have 81.2% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 46.4% less access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 56.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 2.3 times more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
be 21.2% more likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, it is 87.0% as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 85.0 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.
have 25.8% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 59.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% 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 27.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Zambia, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 58% 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 80.8% less on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 52.0% less on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 95.4% less strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 70.9% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 24.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.