Papua New Guinea vs United States: Compare Statistics

Side-by-side comparison of 109 key metrics across economy, population, geography, and more — latest data through 2026.

Summary

Comparing Papua New Guinea and United States: Papua New Guinea leads on Electricity Installed Capacity (900,900) against United States (1.09); Papua New Guinea leads on Major Urban Areas Population (410,000 people) against United States (18.94 people); Papua New Guinea leads on Refined Petroleum Products Imports (17,110) against United States (2.17). Across 109 compared metrics, Papua New Guinea wins on 41 and United States wins on 60.

  • Communications: 6 metrics compared
  • Economy: 45 metrics compared
  • Environment: 6 metrics compared
  • Geography: 6 metrics compared
  • Government: 4 metrics compared
  • Health: 9 metrics compared
  • Military and Security: 1 metric compared
  • People and Society: 28 metrics compared
  • Transportation: 4 metrics compared

Communications

6 metrics
Metric🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea🇺🇸 United StatesShare
Internet Usage Rate by Country (% of Population)24.07 %93.14 %
Internet Userspercent of population: 24% (2023 est.)percent of population: 93% (2023 est.)
Press Freedom Index Score58.35 points65.49 points
Radios410,000575
Televisions59,841219
Waterways11,00041,009

Economy

45 metrics
Metric🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea🇺🇸 United StatesShare
Agriculture Value Added as a Share of GDP by Country6.56B $350.60B $
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by Country in Current US Dollars37.09B $32.95T $
Central Bank Discount Rate (%)14 %0.5 %
Coal Revenue00.2
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate (%)8.4 %4.1 %
Current Health Expenditure (% of GDP)2.4 % of GDP16.9 % of GDP
Ease of Doing Business Index80.192
Electricity Consumption3.243.9
Electricity Exports09.7
Electricity from Fossil Fuels6370
Electricity from Hydroelectric Plants307
Electricity from Nuclear Fuels09
Electricity from Other Renewables714
Electricity Imports072.72
Electricity Installed Capacity900,9001.09
Electricity Production3.484.1
Energy Consumption per Capita (USD)8.78 USD per capita278.47 USD per capita
Gini Index Coefficient41.941.5
Gross Fixed Investment20.612.9
Gross National Saving36.818.9
Industrial Production Growth Rate (%)3.6 %3.25 %
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices)0.6 %2.9 %
Military Expenditures (% of GDP)0.3 % of GDP3.2 % of GDP
Natural Gas Consumption99.11767.6
Natural Gas Exports11.189.7
Natural Gas Imports086.15
Natural Gas Production11.18772.8
Natural Gas Proved Reserves210.50
Oil Consumption33,00019.15
Oil Exports8,0291.92
Oil Imports14,77010.27
Oil Production30,5709.69
Oil Proved Reserves8820.68
Population Below Poverty Line37 people15.1 people
Public Debt52.4114.8
Real GDP Growth Rate (USD)4.1 USD2.8 USD
Refined Petroleum Products Consumption37,00019.96
Refined Petroleum Products Exports05.22
Refined Petroleum Products Imports17,1102.18
Refined Petroleum Products Production22,17020.3
Remittances00
Revenue from Forest Resources2.080.04
Share of population in poverty ($3 a day)52.211
Taxes and Other Revenues15.910.6
Unemployment Rate2.8 %4.2 %

Environment

6 metrics
Metric🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea🇺🇸 United StatesShare
Annual CO₂ Emissions Growth (abs)-12,308-14.29M
Carbon Dioxide Emissions5.84.8
Continental Shelf200not specified;
Population Distributionpopulation concentrated in the highlands and eastern coastal areas on the island of New Guinea; predominantly a rural distribution with only about one fifth of the population residing in urban areaslarge urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the US (particularly the Great Lakes area, northeast, east, and southeast) and the western-tier states; mountainous areas such as the Rocky Mountains and Appalachians, deserts in the southwest
Total Renewable Groundwater Resources by Country211.6 Cubic meters per year1,383 Cubic meters per year
Total Renewable Water Resources8013.07

Geography

6 metrics
Metric🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea🇺🇸 United StatesShare
Percentage of land area by degree of urbanization0.86 %2.11 %
Above-Ground Biomass in Forest (tonnes/ha)17694.67
Agricultural land14,050 sq. km4.17M sq. km
Coastline Length (km)5,152 km19,924 km
Dam capacity per capita0 cubic meters per inhabitant2,113 cubic meters per inhabitant
Irrigated Land0234,782

Government

4 metrics
Metric🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea🇺🇸 United StatesShare
Rule of Law Index by Country34.23 %88.3 %
Administrative Divisions2050
Independence164
Suffrage Participation Rate1818

Health

9 metrics
Metric🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea🇺🇸 United StatesShare
Diabetes Prevalence (% of Population)14.113.7
Health Expenditure (% of GDP)2.3 % of GDP16.6 % of GDP
HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate0.9 %NA
Hospital Bed Density0.2 people/sq km2.7 people/sq km
Maternal Mortality Ratio (%)189 %17 %
Mean Age at First Birth21.927.5
Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate (%)21.3 %36.2 %
People Living With HIV/AIDS55,000NA
Underweight Children Under 527.80.4

Military and Security

1 metric
Metric🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea🇺🇸 United StatesShare
Total Armed Forces Personnel (PPP)4,0001.40M

People and Society

28 metrics
Metric🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea🇺🇸 United StatesShare
Currently married (Percent)65.19 %51.38 %
Human Capital Index0.440.72
Life expectancy at birth70.09 years83.22 years
Median age of population23 years38.79 years
Population Change183,015.8 persons2.26M persons
Population density24.18 per sq. km38.15 per sq. km
Total population10.95M persons349.13M persons
Academic Freedom Index0.850.4
Birth Rate (%)27.57 %10.75 %
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate36.7 %73.9 %
Death Rate (%)5.36 %8.76 %
Education Expenditure (% of GDP)0.8 % of GDP5.4 % of GDP
Female population of reproductive age2.84M persons78.56M persons
Labor Force Participation Rate3.66174.17
Learning-adjusted years of school8.41 years11.07 years
Length of paid parental leave for mother0 days183.4 days
Major Urban Areas Population410,000 people18.94 people
Mean Male Height (cm)163.57177.13
Military Service Age and Obligation1817
Percentage of population by degree of urbanization48.18 %74.52 %
Physician Density0.06 people/sq km3.68 people/sq km
Population Growth Rate2.22 %0.45 %
Population living in slums23.07 %0.05 %
Total deaths69,009.6 persons2.87M persons
Total demand for family planning (Percent)46 %65.73 %
Total fertility rate2.98 per woman1.61 per woman
Total net-migration-4,940.6 persons1.49M persons
Under-five mortality rate37.27 per live births5.52 per live births

Transportation

4 metrics
Metric🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea🇺🇸 United StatesShare
Air Travel Trips Per Capita (PPP)0.252.06
Airports56916,116
Civil Air Travelabout 15 major transport aircraft8,252
Heliports38,130

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