An academic says a focus on health, education and access to a cash-economy in Papua New Guinea could help many people escape poverty.
Research from the Australian National University suggests 18 percent of the population in Papua New Guinea live on less than 40 US dollars each a year.
It shows that the life expectancy of Papua New Guineas is as low as 46 years in the poorest areas, while access to health and education is very poor.
A senior research fellow, Dr Mike Bourke, says there's a lot that can be done to address this.
"Starting off with primary education, but also increasing children's access to secondary schools so at least some of the children can get secondary education. Primary health care is utterly critical, to have local healthcare that people can access within some hours, maximum half a days walk away. [And] cash income is terribly important."
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Dr Mike Bourke says infrastructure improvement is also essential.
He says it should be funded through aid projects and better governance.
