Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Burma, you would:

Health

be 3.7 times more likely to be obese

In Burma, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 21.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 49.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Burma, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 79.0% more children

In Burma, there are approximately 15.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 27.9% less likely to be literate

In Burma, the literacy rate is 89.1% as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, it is 64.2% as of 2015.

Basic Needs

be 71.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In Burma, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 21% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 27.3% less likely to have internet access

In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 44.3% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Burma, approximately 85% of people have improved drinking water access (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 48% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 30.0% less on education

Burma spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 32.4% less on healthcare

Burma spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.7 times more coastline

Burma has a total of 1,930 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Papua New Guinea: At a glance

Papua New Guinea (sometimes abbreviated PNG) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 452,860 sq km. The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.
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How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.

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