Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.4 years longer

In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 8.5 times more money

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

be 54.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

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

be 4.2 times more likely to be unemployed

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

Life

be 50.9% more likely to be literate

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

be 85.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 33.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In New Caledonia, on the other hand, 5.0 children do as of 2020.

have 50.9% fewer children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 13.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 5.3 times more likely to have access to electricity

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

be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access

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

be 2.1 times more likely to have access to improved drinking water

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

Geography

see 56.2% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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