Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.4 years less

In New Caledonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (75 years for men, 83 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 76.4% less likely to be unemployed

In New Caledonia, 11.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

make 88.2% less money

New Caledonia has a GDP per capita of $35,700 as of 2021, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In New Caledonia, 17.0% live below the poverty line as of 2008. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 2.0 times more children

In New Caledonia, there are approximately 13.8 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 33.7% less likely to be literate

In New Caledonia, the literacy rate is 96.9% as of 2015. In Papua New Guinea, it is 64.2% as of 2015.

be 6.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In New Caledonia, approximately 5.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. 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 New Caledonia, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, 19% of the population do as of 2022.

be 61.0% less likely to have internet access

In New Caledonia, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 52.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In New Caledonia, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, 48% of people do as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.3 times more coastline

New Caledonia has a total of 2,254 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 New Caledonia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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