Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
be 84.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
live 3.2 years longer
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 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 29.0% more spent on your healthcare
Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Papua New Guinea spends $133 as of 2023.
be 89.5% less likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 90.3% more likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
have 55.1% fewer doctors per person
Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Papua New Guinea has 0.6 as of 2023.
have 45.5% less access to essential health services
Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Papua New Guinea scores 30 as of 2021.
Economy
be 72.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 47.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zimbabwe, approximately 358.0 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 49.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62.4 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.
have 18.7% fewer children
In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 29.9 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 66.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (84% in urban areas, and 51% 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 54.8% less likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 20.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Zimbabwe, approximately 67% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 54% 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 2.1 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 50.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, they kill 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.7% less strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 88.1% less home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 32.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.5% less CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zimbabwe vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.