Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 4.2 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 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 67.7% more likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 21.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 74.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

make 33.3% less money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $6,300 as of 2023, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

be 16.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

Life

be 58.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mauritania, approximately 465.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, 192.0 women do as of 2020.

be 34.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Mauritania, approximately 51.0 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 61.2% less likely to have access to electricity

In Mauritania, approximately 49% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 1% 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 45.8% less likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 59.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 44.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Mauritania, approximately 85% of people have improved drinking water access (99% in urban areas, and 68% 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 26.3% less on education

Mauritania spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 26.5% less on healthcare

Mauritania spends 3.4% 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 6.8 times more coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 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 Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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