Papua New Guinea vs Solomon Islands: how the neighbours compare
| Indicator | Papua New Guinea | Solomon Islands | Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | |||
| Population | 10.8m2025 | 838,6452025 | 91 · 163 |
| Area | 462,840 km²2024 | 28,446 km²2024 | 56 · 141 |
| Density | 23.42024 | 29.32024 | 182 · 174 |
| Urban share | 15.8%2025 | 31.3%2025 | 216 · 194 |
| Fertility | 3.072024 | 3.512024 | 55 · 44 |
| Aged 65+ | 3.6%2025 | 3.7%2025 | 176 · 174 |
| Economy | |||
| GDP | $32.5bn2025 | $1.7bn2025 | 112 · 193 |
| GDP per capita | $3,0202025 | $2,0862025 | 165 · 175 |
| GDP per capita, PPP | $5,2152025 | $2,7882025 | 164 · 188 |
| GDP growth | 5.6%2025 | 3.6%2025 | 40 · 93 |
| Agriculture share | 17.0%2024 | 29.7%2024 | 42 · 13 |
| Industry share | 36.5%2024 | 23.4%2024 | 24 · 102 |
| Services share | 42.0%2024 | 46.9%2024 | 182 · 162 |
| Prices & public finance | |||
| Inflation | 4.4%2025 | 3.4%2025 | 48 · 82 |
| Tax revenue | 15.5%2024 | 23.3%2024 | 79 · 25 |
| Military spending | 0.35%2025 | — | 150 · — |
| Trade & investment | |||
| Exports | — | 40.6%2024 | — · 80 |
| FDI inflows | -3.6%2025 | 3.8%2025 | 194 · 56 |
| Labour | |||
| Unemployment | 2.6%2025 | 1.4%2025 | 163 · 179 |
| Aid, poverty & equality | |||
| Women in parliament | 2.7%2025 | 6.0%2025 | 186 · 177 |
| Education | |||
| Education spending | 0.8%2023 | 8.3%2023 | 181 · 7 |
| Health | |||
| Life expectancy | 66.3 yrs2024 | 70.7 yrs2024 | 185 · 149 |
| Infant mortality | 31.32024 | 16.42024 | 44 · 80 |
| Health spending | 2.9%2023 | 5.4%2023 | 181 · 122 |
| Physicians | 0.062023 | 0.242023 | 177 · 146 |
| Digital & energy access | |||
| Internet users | 18.8%2024 | 29.0%2024 | 179 · 171 |
| Fixed broadband | 0.22024 | 0.12022 | 188 · 194 |
| Electricity access | 43.3%2024 | 81.5%2024 | 203 · 169 |
| Environment | |||
| CO₂ per person | 0.52 t2024 | 0.38 t2024 | 161 · 167 |
| Renewable energy | 54.6%2022 | 50.1%2022 | 43 · 49 |
| Forest cover | 75.2%2024 | 89.8%2024 | 10 · 5 |
Higher value in each row is highlighted; it is not always the better one (think inflation or emissions). Ranks are world positions.
GDP per capita
Papua New GuineaSolomon Islands
Life expectancy
Papua New GuineaSolomon Islands
Population
Papua New GuineaSolomon Islands
Internet users
Papua New GuineaSolomon Islands
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
more head-to-heads