Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 13.4% less likely to be obese

In Cuba, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 21.3% of people as of 2016.

live 10.2 years less

In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 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

make 65.9% less money

Cuba has a GDP per capita of $12,300 as of 2016, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Cuba, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

Life

have 2.8 times more children

In Cuba, there are approximately 9.9 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 4.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Cuba, approximately 39.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, 192.0 women do as of 2020.

be 35.6% less likely to be literate

In Cuba, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 64.2% as of 2015.

be 8.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Cuba, approximately 4.1 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 81.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Cuba, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, 19% of the population do as of 2022.

be 54.9% less likely to have internet access

In Cuba, approximately 71.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 51.8% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Cuba, approximately 98% of people have improved drinking water access (99% in urban areas, and 97% 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 89.1% less on education

Cuba spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2010. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 80.0% less on healthcare

Cuba spends 12.5% 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 37.9% more coastline

Cuba has a total of 3,735 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 Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.

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