Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.5 years less

In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 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 37.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Guatemala, 59.3% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

make 66.9% less money

Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $12,700 as of 2023, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

pay a 6.0 times higher top tax rate

Guatemala has a top tax rate of 7.0% as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, the top tax rate is 42.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 31.3% more children

In Guatemala, there are approximately 21.4 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 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Guatemala, approximately 96.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, 192.0 women do as of 2020.

be 22.9% less likely to be literate

In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 83.3% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 64.2% as of 2015.

be 28.3% more likely to die during infancy

In Guatemala, approximately 26.2 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 80.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In Guatemala, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2022. 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 37.3% less likely to have internet access

In Guatemala, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 50.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Guatemala, approximately 95% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 92% 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 54.8% less on education

Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 61.5% less on healthcare

Guatemala spends 6.5% 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 12.9 times more coastline

Guatemala has a total of 400 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, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea, Superintendence of the Tax Administration.

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 Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.

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