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

Health

live 16.9 years longer

In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In Singapore, that number is 86 years (84 years for men, 89 years for women) as of 2022.

be 71.4% less likely to be obese

In Papua New Guinea, 21.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Singapore, that number is 6.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 28.4 times more money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,800 as of 2022, while in Singapore, the GDP per capita is $108,000 as of 2022.

pay a 47.6% lower top tax rate

Papua New Guinea has a top tax rate of 42.0% as of 2016. In Singapore, the top tax rate is 22.0% as of 2016.

be 29.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Singapore, that number is 3.6% as of 2022.

Life

be 96.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 192.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Singapore, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 51.9% more likely to be literate

In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 64.2% as of 2015. In Singapore, it is 97.5% as of 2019.

be 95.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 33.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Singapore, on the other hand, 1.6 children do as of 2022.

have 68.7% fewer children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Singapore, there are 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 4.8 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 21% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Singapore, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 32.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Singapore, about 91.0% do as of 2021.

be 2.1 times more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 48% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Singapore, 100% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 100.0% more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Singapore spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 2.4 times more on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Singapore, that number is 6.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 96.3% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Singapore, that number is 193 km.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea.

Singapore: At a glance

Singapore is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 709 sq km. Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
Read more

How big is Singapore compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Singapore.or Papua New Guinea It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.