Country page · East Asia & Pacific
If you were born in Papua New Guinea
1 in 513 babies · 0.19% of births · about 261,440 a year
Right now, about 0.19% of the world's babies are born in Papua New Guinea — 1 in 513, or roughly 261,440 a year and 716 a day. Life expectancy there is 66.3 years.
How the 1 in 513 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Papua New Guinea has about 261,440 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.19% — 1 in 513. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Papua New Guinea, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 69.2 · men 63.8 | 66.3 years | 141st highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 39.4 / 1,000 | 3.9% | 133rd lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 31.3 / 1,000 | 3.1% | 129th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 189 | 133rd lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 3.07 | 123rd lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 5.4 years | 167th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 1.9% | 166th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $5,215 | 134th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 41.90 | 32nd highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 15.8% | 172nd highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 36.9% | 129th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 18.8% | 158th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 9.3 | 127th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 8.6% | 12th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 1.50% | 27th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 39.3% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Papua New Guinea compared with East Asia & Pacific
Life expectancy in Papua New Guinea is 66.3 years, against a East Asia & Pacific average of 74.8. The under-5 death rate is 3.9%, versus 1.8% across the region. Income per person is $5,215, against $34,115 regionally; expected schooling is 5.4 years against 13.2. 15.8% of people live in cities, against 59.6% in the region.
| Indicator | Papua New Guinea | East Asia & Pacific | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 66.3 years old | 74.8 years old | 73.3 years old |
| Under-5 deaths | 3.9% | 1.8% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $5,215 | $34,115 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 5.4 years | 13.2 years | 13.0 years |
| People in cities | 15.8% | 59.6% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 66.3 years on average, with roughly 39.4 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 5.4 years of school, and income per person is around $5,215. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Papua New Guinea
The game draws Papua New Guinea in about 1 of every 513 births. From there the life runs year by year: 66.3 years of life expectancy on average, a 3.9% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $5,215 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in South Korea — 1 in 552
- Chance of being born in Australia — 1 in 454
- Chance of being born in North Korea — 1 in 393
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in Papua New Guinea?
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How many babies are born in Papua New Guinea each year?
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Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 24, 2026.