Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Northern Mariana Islands, you would:

Health

live 7.1 years less

In Northern Mariana Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 79 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 76.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Northern Mariana Islands, 11.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2010. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

make 82.9% less money

Northern Mariana Islands has a GDP per capita of $24,500 as of 2016, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

Life

have 79.0% more children

In Northern Mariana Islands, there are approximately 15.7 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 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Northern Mariana Islands, approximately 12.5 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 27.5% more likely to have internet access

In Northern Mariana Islands, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 81.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Northern Mariana Islands, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, 19% of the population do as of 2022.

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

In Northern Mariana Islands, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, 48% of people do as of 2020.

Geography

see 3.5 times more coastline

Northern Mariana Islands has a total of 1,482 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 Northern Mariana Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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