The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Solomon Islands fits inside Papua New Guinea 16 times.
Papua New Guinea: 462,840 km² (2023) · Solomon Islands: 28,900 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Solomon Islands’ coastline is 3% longer than Papua New Guinea’s.
Papua New Guinea: 5,152 km (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 5,313 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Papua New Guinea’s highest peak towers 2,174 m above the Solomon Islands’.
Papua New Guinea: 4,509 m (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Papua New Guinea has 13 times as many people as the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 10.8 million (2025) · Solomon Islands: 838,645 (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Solomon Islands is 26% more densely populated than Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 24 per km² (2025) · Solomon Islands: 30 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are practically level.
Papua New Guinea: 163.1 cm (2019) · Solomon Islands: 163.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are practically level.
Papua New Guinea: 156.9 cm (2019) · Solomon Islands: 156.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Papua New Guinea is 2.1 years older than in the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 22.3 years (2023) · Solomon Islands: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Solomon Islands have 0.4 more children on average than in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 3.07 children per woman (2024) · Solomon Islands: 3.51 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
The Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea are practically level.
Papua New Guinea: 3.6% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 3.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Papua New Guinea: 0 (2025) · Solomon Islands: no data
How many official languages?
Papua New Guinea has 3 official languages, the Solomon Islands 1.
Papua New Guinea: 3 (2026) · Solomon Islands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Papua New Guinea’s economy is 19 times the size of the Solomon Islands’.
Papua New Guinea: $32.5 billion (2025) · Solomon Islands: $1.75 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Papua New Guinea produces 87% more per person than the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: Int$5,215 (2025) · Solomon Islands: Int$2,788 (2025)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 2.6% in Papua New Guinea, versus 1.4% in the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 2.6% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 1.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Papua New Guinea: 0.3% (2024) · Solomon Islands: no data
How expensive is it?
The Solomon Islands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Papua New Guinea’s.
Papua New Guinea: 58% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 75% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Solomon Islands spends 31% more on health per person than Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: $85 (2023) · Solomon Islands: $111 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Solomon Islands live 4.4 years longer than in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 66.3 years (2024) · Solomon Islands: 70.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Papua New Guinea is 91% more likely to die before turning one than in the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 31.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Solomon Islands: 16.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Solomon Islands has 3.9 times as many doctors per person as Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Solomon Islands: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
28% of adults in Papua New Guinea are obese, versus 21% in the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 27.6% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 20.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
39% of adults in Papua New Guinea smoke, versus 38% in the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 39.3% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 38.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How much do people drink?
Adults in Papua New Guinea drink 62% more alcohol than in the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 1 litres (2023) · Solomon Islands: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Papua New Guinea has 3.7 times as much meat per person as the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 58.5 kg (2023) · Solomon Islands: 15.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Papua New Guinea has 11 kcal more food per person per day than the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 2,177 kcal (2023) · Solomon Islands: 2,166 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Solomon Islands went to school 0.92 years longer than in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 5 years (2023) · Solomon Islands: 5.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Solomon Islands welcomed 6.1 times as many tourists per resident as Papua New Guinea (2019).
Papua New Guinea: 0.01 (2022) · Solomon Islands: 0.04 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
29% of people in the Solomon Islands are online, versus 19% in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 19% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 29% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
82% of people in the Solomon Islands have electricity, versus 43% in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 43.3% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 81.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
31% of people in the Solomon Islands live in cities, versus 16% in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 16% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 31% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Solomon Islands has 62 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Papua New Guinea 39.
Papua New Guinea: 39 (2024) · Solomon Islands: 62 (2022)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Solomon Islands fly 31% more passengers per resident than those from Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 0.14 (2023) · Solomon Islands: 0.19 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 90% of the Solomon Islands, but only 79% of Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 79% (2023) · Solomon Islands: 90.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Papua New Guinea emits 2.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 0.8 t (2024) · Solomon Islands: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Papua New Guinea’s electricity is renewable, versus 9.1% in the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 23.7% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 9.1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Papua New Guinea carries 57% more fine dust than in the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 11 µg/m³ (2024) · Solomon Islands: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Papua New Guinea are 33% deadlier than in the Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea: 14.9 per 100k (2021) · Solomon Islands: 11.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Solomon Islands is on average 2.6 °C warmer than Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 24°C (2016–2025 avg) · Solomon Islands: 26.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are nearly identical here.
Papua New Guinea: 4,281 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Solomon Islands: 4,245 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Papua New Guinea bigger than the Solomon Islands?
Papua New Guinea is larger. The Solomon Islands fits inside Papua New Guinea 16 times.
Which has more people, Papua New Guinea or the Solomon Islands?
Papua New Guinea has 13 times as many people as the Solomon Islands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Papua New Guinea or the Solomon Islands?
People in the Solomon Islands live 4.4 years longer than in Papua New Guinea. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in Papua New Guinea and 70.7 in the Solomon Islands.
Are people taller in Papua New Guinea or the Solomon Islands?
Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
