Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 5.9 years less

In American Samoa, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 91.1% less likely to be unemployed

In American Samoa, 29.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2005. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

make 62.5% less money

American Samoa has a GDP per capita of $11,200 as of 2016, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

Life

have 79.0% more children

In American Samoa, 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 3.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In American Samoa, approximately 10.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, 33.6 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 67.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In American Samoa, approximately 59% of people have electricity access (60% in urban areas, and 45% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 19% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 20.6% less likely to have internet access

In American Samoa, approximately 40.3% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 52.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

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

Geography

see 44.4 times more coastline

American Samoa has a total of 116 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 American Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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