Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 11.7 years less

In Taiwan, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 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 29.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Taiwan, 3.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

make 91.2% less money

Taiwan has a GDP per capita of $47,800 as of 2019, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2023.

be 24.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Taiwan, 1.5% live below the poverty line as of 2012. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 3.8 times more children

In Taiwan, there are approximately 7.3 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 34.8% less likely to be literate

In Taiwan, the literacy rate is 98.5% as of 2014. In Papua New Guinea, it is 64.2% as of 2015.

be 8.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Taiwan, approximately 4.0 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 64.4% less likely to have internet access

In Taiwan, approximately 90.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Papua New Guinea, about 32.0% do as of 2021.

Geography

see 3.3 times more coastline

Taiwan has a total of 1,566 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 Taiwan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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