If you lived in New Zealand instead of American Samoa, you would:

Health

live 9.0 years longer

In American Samoa, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 55.2% less likely to be obese

In American Samoa, 75.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 2.8 times more money

American Samoa has a GDP per capita of $18,017 as of 2022, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 60.2% less likely to die during infancy

In American Samoa, approximately 10.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 26.4% fewer children

In American Samoa, there are approximately 15.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 69.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In American Samoa, approximately 59% of people have electricity access (60% in urban areas, and 45% in rural areas) as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access

In American Samoa, approximately 40.3% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 130.5 times more coastline

American Samoa has a total of 116 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2020–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

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.
Read more

How big is New Zealand compared to American Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New Zealand or American Samoa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.