Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 14.2 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 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 25.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

make 93.7% less money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

be 4.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 2.2 times more children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 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 64.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, 192.0 women do as of 2020.

be 20.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Iceland, approximately 1.6 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 Iceland, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, 19% of the population do as of 2022.

be 68.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 52.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 81.8% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 74.0% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2020.

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 Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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