The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Micronesia fits inside Papua New Guinea 661 times.
Micronesia: 700 km² (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 462,840 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Micronesia’s coastline is 19% longer than Papua New Guinea’s.
Micronesia: 6,112 km (2026 edition) · Papua New Guinea: 5,152 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Papua New Guinea’s highest peak towers 3,727 m above Micronesia’s.
Micronesia: 782 m (2026 edition) · Papua New Guinea: 4,509 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Papua New Guinea has 95 times as many people as Micronesia.
Micronesia: 113,683 (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Micronesia is 6.8 times as densely populated as Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 162 per km² (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 24 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Micronesia are 6.5 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 169.6 cm (2019) · Papua New Guinea: 163.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Micronesia are 2.8 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 159.7 cm (2019) · Papua New Guinea: 156.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Micronesia is 0.51 years older than in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 22.9 years (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 22.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Papua New Guinea have 0.3 more children on average than in Micronesia.
Micronesia: 2.74 children per woman (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 3.07 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.2% of people in Micronesia are 65 or older, versus 3.6% in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 6.2% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 3.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Micronesia: no data · Papua New Guinea: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Papua New Guinea has 3 official languages, Micronesia 1.
Micronesia: 1 (2026) · Papua New Guinea: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Papua New Guinea’s economy is 65 times the size of Micronesia’s.
Micronesia: $502 million (2025) · Papua New Guinea: $32.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Papua New Guinea produces 13% more per person than Micronesia.
Micronesia: Int$4,604 (2025) · Papua New Guinea: Int$5,215 (2025)
How many people are looking for work?
Micronesia: no data · Papua New Guinea: 2.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Micronesia: no data · Papua New Guinea: 0.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Micronesia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Papua New Guinea’s.
Micronesia: 96% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 58% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Micronesia spends 6 times as much on health per person as Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: $508 (2023) · Papua New Guinea: $85 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Micronesia live 1.1 years longer than in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 67.4 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 54% more likely to die before turning one than in Micronesia.
Micronesia: 20.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 31.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Micronesia has 16 times as many doctors per person as Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 1 per 1,000 (2020) · Papua New Guinea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
47% of adults in Micronesia are obese, versus 28% in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 46.8% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 27.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Micronesia: no data · Papua New Guinea: 39.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How much do people drink?
Adults in Papua New Guinea drink 22% more alcohol than in Micronesia.
Micronesia: 0.8 litres (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Micronesia has 9% more meat per person than Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 64 kg (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 58.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Micronesia has 456 kcal more food per person per day than Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 2,633 kcal (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 2,177 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Micronesia went to school 2.4 years longer than in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 7.3 years (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Micronesia welcomed 25 times as many tourists per resident as Papua New Guinea (2019).
Micronesia: 0.16 (2019) · Papua New Guinea: 0.01 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
40% of people in Micronesia are online, versus 19% in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 40% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 19% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
89% of people in Micronesia have electricity, versus 43% in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 88.9% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 43.3% (2024)
How many live in cities?
22% of people in Micronesia live in cities, versus 16% in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 22% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 16% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Papua New Guinea has 39 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Micronesia 20.
Micronesia: 20 (2022) · Papua New Guinea: 39 (2024)
How much do they fly?
Micronesia: no data · Papua New Guinea: 0.14 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 92% of Micronesia, but only 79% of Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 92.2% (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 79% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Micronesia emits 69% more CO₂ than someone in Papua New Guinea.
Micronesia: 1.3 t (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 0.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Micronesia: no data · Papua New Guinea: 23.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Papua New Guinea carries 4.8 times as much fine dust as in Micronesia.
Micronesia: 2.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 11 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Micronesia: 0.9 per 100k (2019) · Papua New Guinea: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Papua New Guinea are 6% deadlier than in Micronesia.
Micronesia: 14.1 per 100k (2021) · Papua New Guinea: 14.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Micronesia: no data · Papua New Guinea: 24°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Micronesia: no data · Papua New Guinea: 4,281 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Micronesia bigger than Papua New Guinea?
Papua New Guinea is larger. Micronesia fits inside Papua New Guinea 661 times.
Which has more people, Micronesia or Papua New Guinea?
Papua New Guinea has 95 times as many people as Micronesia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Micronesia or Papua New Guinea?
People in Micronesia live 1.1 years longer than in Papua New Guinea. Life expectancy at birth is 67.4 years in Micronesia and 66.3 in Papua New Guinea.
Are people taller in Micronesia or Papua New Guinea?
Men in Micronesia are 6.5 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
