Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 13.1 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 Zealand, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

be 44.6% more likely to be obese

In Papua New Guinea, 21.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In New Zealand, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 11.6 times more money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $4,200 as of 2023, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $48,800 as of 2023.

pay a 21.4% lower top tax rate

Papua New Guinea has a top tax rate of 42.0% as of 2016. In New Zealand, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.

be 41.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 3.7% as of 2023.

Life

be 96.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 192.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 89.8% 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 Zealand, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2022.

have 55.2% fewer children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 12.6 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 Zealand, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 3.0 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 Zealand, about 96.0% 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 (86% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 4.3 times more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. New Zealand spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 4.0 times more on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.9 times more coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, New Zealand Inland Revenue Department, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea.

New Zealand: At a glance

New Zealand (sometimes abbreviated NZ) is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 264,537 sq km. The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. That same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both world wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.
Read more

How big is New Zealand compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New Zealand.or Papua New Guinea It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.