Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.5 years longer

In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 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.

be 53.7% less likely to be obese

In Kiribati, 46.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 21.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 31.2% more money

Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $3,200 as of 2023, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

be 91.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Kiribati, 30.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2010. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

be 68.9% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Kiribati, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 42.6% more children

In Kiribati, there are approximately 19.7 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 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Kiribati, approximately 76.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, 192.0 women do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 79.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Kiribati, approximately 94% of people have electricity access (88% in urban areas, and 94% 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 40.7% less likely to have internet access

In Kiribati, approximately 54.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 42.1% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Kiribati, approximately 82% of people have improved drinking water access (97% in urban areas, and 63% 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 88.7% less on education

Kiribati spends 12.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 78.4% less on healthcare

Kiribati spends 11.6% 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 4.5 times more coastline

Kiribati has a total of 1,143 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 Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.

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