The duel
World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Papua New Guinea 4.2 times.
Papua New Guinea: 462,840 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Papua New Guinea’s coastline is 12 times as long as the median country’s.
Papua New Guinea: 5,152 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Papua New Guinea’s highest peak towers 2,174 m above the median country’s.
Papua New Guinea: 4,509 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Papua New Guinea has 45% more people than the median country.
Papua New Guinea: 10.8 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 4.1 times as densely populated as Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 24 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 10.4 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 163.1 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 3.7 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 156.9 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 8.8 years older than in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 22.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Papua New Guinea have 1.2 more children on average than in the median country.
Papua New Guinea: 3.07 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.6% in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 3.6% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Papua New Guinea and the median country are practically level.
Papua New Guinea: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Papua New Guinea has 3 official languages, the median country 1.
Papua New Guinea: 3 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 40% larger than Papua New Guinea’s.
Papua New Guinea: $32.5 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 4 times as much per person as Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: Int$5,215 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Papua New Guinea: no data · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 2.6% in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 2.6% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Papua New Guinea 0.3%.
Papua New Guinea: 0.3% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Papua New Guinea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the median country’s.
Papua New Guinea: 58% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 5.5 times as much on health per person as Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: $85 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 8.4 years longer than in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 66.3 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Papua New Guinea is 2.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country.
Papua New Guinea: 31.3 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 27 times as many doctors per person as Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
28% of adults in Papua New Guinea are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
Papua New Guinea: 27.6% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
39% of adults in Papua New Guinea smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
Papua New Guinea: 39.3% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Papua New Guinea: no data · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 4.5 times as much alcohol as in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 1 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Papua New Guinea has 4% more meat per person than the median country.
Papua New Guinea: 58.5 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 761 kcal more food per person per day than Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 2,177 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Papua New Guinea: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 5 years longer than in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 5 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 53 times as many tourists per resident as Papua New Guinea (2019).
Papua New Guinea: 0.01 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 19% in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 19% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 43% in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 43.3% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 16% in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 16% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Papua New Guinea 39.
Papua New Guinea: 39 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Papua New Guinea: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 66% more passengers per resident than those from Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 0.14 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 79% of Papua New Guinea, but only 31% of the median country.
Papua New Guinea: 79% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 3.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 0.8 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 23.7% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 51% more fine dust than in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: 11 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Papua New Guinea: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Papua New Guinea are 21% deadlier than in the median country.
Papua New Guinea: 14.9 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Papua New Guinea is on average 1.0 °C warmer than the median country.
Papua New Guinea: 24°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Papua New Guinea gets 4.2 times as much rain as the median country.
Papua New Guinea: 4,281 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Papua New Guinea bigger than the median country?
Papua New Guinea is larger. The median country fits inside Papua New Guinea 4.2 times.
Which has more people, Papua New Guinea or the median country?
Papua New Guinea has 45% more people than the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Papua New Guinea or the median country?
People in the median country live 8.4 years longer than in Papua New Guinea. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in Papua New Guinea and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Papua New Guinea or the median country?
Men in the median country are 10.4 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
