Moving to Papua New Guinea from Nigeria
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Nigeria to Papua New Guinea — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Nigeria to Papua New Guinea. You’ll also switch from driving on the right to the left.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Nigeria and Papua New Guinea stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Papua New Guinea performs significantly better than Nigeria across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Nigeria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Papua New Guinea leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Papua New Guinea performs significantly better than Nigeria across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
share of households with internet
Papua New Guinea generally does better on infrastructure, though Nigeria leads in internet access.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Papua New Guinea generally does better on employment & economy, though Nigeria leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Papua New Guinea performs significantly better than Nigeria across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria (2016), Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea (2016), The World Factbook (2002). How we calculate this
Weather in Papua New Guinea vs Nigeria
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Lagos | Port Moresby |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 91°/74°F (33°/23°C) | 89°/74°F (32°/24°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 88°/74°F (31°/23°C) | 88°/74°F (31°/23°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/71°F (28°/22°C) | 87°/73°F (30°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 88°/72°F (31°/22°C) | 90°/74°F (32°/24°C) |
View all months
| Month | Lagos | Port Moresby |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90°/72°F (32.2°/22.3°C) | 90°/75°F (32.1°/23.7°C) |
| Feb | 92°/74°F (33.1°/23.5°C) | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.5°C) |
| Mar | 91°/75°F (32.7°/23.8°C) | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.4°C) |
| Apr | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.6°C) | 88°/74°F (31.3°/23.5°C) |
| May | 88°/74°F (30.9°/23.1°C) | 88°/74°F (31.0°/23.5°C) |
| Jun | 85°/73°F (29.2°/22.6°C) | 87°/74°F (30.3°/23.1°C) |
| Jul | 83°/72°F (28.1°/22.1°C) | 86°/72°F (29.9°/22.4°C) |
| Aug | 83°/71°F (28.1°/21.7°C) | 87°/73°F (30.3°/22.6°C) |
| Sep | 84°/71°F (28.9°/21.9°C) | 88°/74°F (31.0°/23.2°C) |
| Oct | 87°/72°F (30.4°/22.3°C) | 90°/74°F (32.0°/23.5°C) |
| Nov | 88°/73°F (31.0°/22.6°C) | 90°/74°F (32.5°/23.6°C) |
| Dec | 89°/72°F (31.9°/22.4°C) | 90°/75°F (32.4°/23.7°C) |
Data:
Nigerian Meteorological Agency,
Papua New Guinea Meteorological Service
Can you move from Nigeria to Papua New Guinea?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Nigeria and Papua New Guinea. To live, work, or study long-term in Papua New Guinea, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Papua New Guinea's immigration authority.
Nigeria passport holder visiting Papua New Guinea
Visa Required
Papua New Guinea passport holder visiting Nigeria
Visa Online (e-Visa)Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Papua New Guinea?
With 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Papua New Guinea can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Nigeria and Papua New Guinea.
Is Papua New Guinea safe for expats?
Papua New Guinea performs significantly better than Nigeria across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Papua New Guinea is 9.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 15.8 in Nigeria.
How is healthcare in Papua New Guinea compared to Nigeria?
Nigeria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Papua New Guinea leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people in Papua New Guinea, compared to 3.8 in Nigeria. Papua New Guinea scores 30 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Nigeria: 38).
What's the weather like in Papua New Guinea compared to Nigeria?
The average high temperature in Port Moresby is 88°F, compared to 87°F in Lagos. Port Moresby receives around 35.4 in of rainfall per year, while Lagos gets 60.6 in.
What language do they speak in Papua New Guinea?
The official languages in Papua New Guinea are English, Hiri Motu and Tok Pisin. In Nigeria, the official language is English.
