Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 13.7 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 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.

be 2.6 times more likely to be obese

In Somalia, 8.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 21.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.8 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2023, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

be 86.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 19.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

be 32.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Somalia, 54.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

Life

be 69.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Somalia, approximately 621.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, 192.0 women do as of 2020.

be 61.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Somalia, approximately 86.5 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.

have 24.9% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 37.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 2.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 14.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

be 61.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In Somalia, approximately 49% of people have electricity access (71% in urban areas, and 31% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 19% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 43.6% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Somalia, approximately 84% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 48% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 4.7 times more on education

Somalia spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 70.3% more coastline

Somalia has a total of 3,025 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 Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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