Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
live 6.5 years longer
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 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.
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Brunei spends $1,896 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 91.5% more doctors per person
Brunei has 18.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
be 3.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Brunei has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 53.8% more money
Brunei has a GDP per capita of $32,235 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 80.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Brunei, approximately 36.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 53.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Brunei, approximately 8.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 17.3% fewer children
In Brunei, there are approximately 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.5 times more on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 94.0 times more coastline
Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 83.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 79.7% more home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Brunei withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 25.2% less electricity
Brunei uses 10,674 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 40.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Brunei, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 70.3% less CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.