Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 12.2 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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 53.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.8% as of 2022.

make 88.9% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $34,300 as of 2022, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,800 as of 2022.

pay a 27.3% higher top tax rate

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

Life

have 3.6 times more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 7.8 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 5.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 34.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, 192.0 women do as of 2020.

be 30.5% less likely to be literate

In Puerto Rico, the literacy rate is 92.4% as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, it is 64.2% as of 2015.

be 5.6 times more likely to die during infancy

In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 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 79.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, 21% of the population do as of 2021.

be 58.8% less likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

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

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

Expenditures

spend 61.1% less on education

Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 10.3 times more coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 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, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea.

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 Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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