Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 88.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Malawi, 8.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2020.

live 3.0 years less

In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 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 3.7 times more likely to be obese

In Malawi, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 21.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.5 times more money

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

be 47.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Malawi, 5.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

be 27.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Malawi, 50.7% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

pay a 40.0% higher top tax rate

Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, the top tax rate is 42.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 49.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Malawi, approximately 381.0 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 35.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Malawi, approximately 14% of people have electricity access (54% in urban areas, and 6% 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 33.3% more likely to have internet access

In Malawi, approximately 24.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 48.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Malawi, approximately 92% of people have improved drinking water access (97% in urban areas, and 91% 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 51.7% less on education

Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 53.7% less on healthcare

Malawi spends 5.4% 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: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea.

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 Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.

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