Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Papua New Guinea fits inside Indonesia 4.1 times
Indonesia: 1,916,910 km² (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 462,840 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Indonesia’s coastline is 11 times as long as Papua New Guinea’s
Indonesia: 54,716 km (2026 edition) · Papua New Guinea: 5,152 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Indonesia’s highest peak towers 375 m above Papua New Guinea’s
Indonesia: 4,884 m (2026 edition) · Papua New Guinea: 4,509 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 29% of Indonesia, versus 3.1% of Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 28.9% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 3.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Indonesia has 27 times as many people as Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 286 million (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Indonesia is 6.4 times as densely populated as Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 151 per km² (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 24 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Indonesia are 3.2 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 166.3 cm (2019) · Papua New Guinea: 163.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Papua New Guinea are 2.5 cm taller than in Indonesia
Indonesia: 154.4 cm (2019) · Papua New Guinea: 156.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Indonesia is 7.5 years older than in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 29.8 years (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 22.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Papua New Guinea have 1.0 more children on average than in Indonesia
Indonesia: 2.12 children per woman (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 3.07 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
7.5% of people in Indonesia are 65 or older, versus 3.6% in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 7.5% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 3.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Papua New Guinea hosts 28 times as many refugees per resident as Indonesia
Indonesia: 0.026 per 1,000 (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 0.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Indonesia has produced 0.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Papua New Guinea none
Indonesia: 0.035 (2026) · Papua New Guinea: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Papua New Guinea has 3 official languages, Indonesia 1
Indonesia: 1 (2026) · Papua New Guinea: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Indonesia’s economy is 44 times the size of Papua New Guinea’s
Indonesia: $1.45 trillion (2025) · Papua New Guinea: $32.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Indonesia produces 3.4 times as much per person as Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: Int$17,660 (2025) · Papua New Guinea: Int$5,215 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Indonesia: 34.4 (2025) · Papua New Guinea: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Indonesia: 3.7% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.2% in Indonesia, versus 2.6% in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 3.2% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 2.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Indonesia spends 1.0% of its GDP on the military, Papua New Guinea 0.4%
Indonesia: 1% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 0.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Indonesia: no data · Papua New Guinea: 15.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Papua New Guinea’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Indonesia’s
Indonesia: 29% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 58% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Indonesia spends 55% more on health per person than Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: $132 (2023) · Papua New Guinea: $85 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Indonesia live 5 years longer than in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 71.3 years (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Papua New Guinea is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Indonesia
Indonesia: 15.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 31.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Indonesia has 8.6 times as many doctors per person as Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 0.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Indonesia has 2.2 times as many hospital beds per person as Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 1.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 0.6 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Papua New Guinea is 32% higher than in Indonesia
Indonesia: 2.2 per 100k (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 2.9 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
28% of adults in Papua New Guinea are obese, versus 12% in Indonesia
Indonesia: 12% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 27.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
39% of adults in Papua New Guinea smoke, versus 31% in Indonesia
Indonesia: 31% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 39.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Indonesia: 5.62 (2025) · Papua New Guinea: no data
How much do people drink?
Adults in Papua New Guinea drink 9.5 times as much alcohol as in Indonesia
Indonesia: 0.1 litres (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Papua New Guinea has 2.9 times as much meat per person as Indonesia
Indonesia: 20 kg (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 58.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Indonesia has 723 kcal more food per person per day than Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 2,900 kcal (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 2,177 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Indonesia: 1,958 hours (2023) · Papua New Guinea: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Indonesia went to school 3.7 years longer than in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 8.7 years (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Indonesia welcomed 7.3 times as many tourists per resident as Papua New Guinea (2019)
Indonesia: 0.05 (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 0.01 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Indonesia has 9 more World Heritage sites than Papua New Guinea (10 against 1)
Indonesia: 10 (2026) · Papua New Guinea: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Indonesia has won 40 Olympic medals, Papua New Guinea none
Indonesia: 40 (2026 edition) · Papua New Guinea: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
73% of people in Indonesia are online, versus 19% in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 73% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 19% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Papua New Guinea is 30% faster than in Indonesia
Indonesia: 82 Mbps (2026) · Papua New Guinea: 106 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Indonesia have electricity, versus 43% in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 99.9% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 43.3% (2024)
How many live in cities?
59% of people in Indonesia live in cities, versus 16% in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 59% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 16% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Indonesia has 123 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Papua New Guinea 39
Indonesia: 123 (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 39 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Indonesia: 5,483 km (2019) · Papua New Guinea: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Indonesia fly 2.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 0.34 (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 0.14 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 75% of Papua New Guinea, but only 51% of Indonesia
Indonesia: 50.7% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 75.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Indonesia emits 3.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 2.9 t (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 0.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Papua New Guinea’s electricity is renewable, versus 18% in Indonesia
Indonesia: 18.1% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 23.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Indonesia carries 68% more fine dust than in Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 18.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 11 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Indonesia: 0.3 per 100k (2022) · Papua New Guinea: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Papua New Guinea are 9% deadlier than in Indonesia
Indonesia: 17.4 per 100k (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 18.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Indonesia is on average 1.7 °C warmer than Papua New Guinea
Indonesia: 25.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Papua New Guinea: 24°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Papua New Guinea gets 25% more rain than Indonesia
Indonesia: 3,437 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Papua New Guinea: 4,281 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Indonesia bigger than Papua New Guinea?
Indonesia is larger. Papua New Guinea fits inside Indonesia 4.1 times.
Which has more people, Indonesia or Papua New Guinea?
Indonesia has 27 times as many people as Papua New Guinea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Indonesia or Papua New Guinea?
People in Indonesia live 5 years longer than in Papua New Guinea. Life expectancy at birth is 71.3 years in Indonesia and 66.3 in Papua New Guinea.
Are people taller in Indonesia or Papua New Guinea?
Men in Indonesia are 3.2 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
