Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Zealand instead of Afghanistan, you would:

Health

live 29.3 years longer

In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 53 years (51 years for men, 54 years for women) as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2020.

be 5.6 times more likely to be obese

In Afghanistan, 5.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In New Zealand, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 19.5 times more money

Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $2,000 as of 2017, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $39,000 as of 2017.

be 80.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Afghanistan, 23.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In New Zealand, that number is 4.7% as of 2017.

pay a 65.0% higher top tax rate

Afghanistan has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In New Zealand, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 98.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Afghanistan, approximately 638.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In New Zealand, 9.0 women do as of 2017.

be 96.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Afghanistan, approximately 104.3 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In New Zealand, on the other hand, 3.5 children do as of 2020.

have 65.1% fewer children

In Afghanistan, there are approximately 36.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In New Zealand, there are 12.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 18.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Afghanistan, approximately 84% of the population has electricity access as of 2012. In New Zealand, 100% of the population do as of 2016.

be 6.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Afghanistan, approximately 13.5% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In New Zealand, about 90.8% do as of 2018.

be 42.5% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Afghanistan, approximately 70% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2017. In New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2017.

Expenditures

spend 56.1% more on education

Afghanistan spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2017. New Zealand spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2016.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Afghanistan Revenue Department, New Zealand Inland Revenue Department.

New Zealand: At a glance

New Zealand (sometimes abbreviated NZ) is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 264,537 sq km. The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. That same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both world wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.
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How big is New Zealand compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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