Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

live 1.8 years longer

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Life

be 68.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Cook Islands, approximately 15.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In New Caledonia, on the other hand, 5.0 children do as of 2020.

View global rankings →

have 16.0% more children

In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 26.5% more likely to have internet access

In Cook Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 18.8 times more coastline

Cook Islands has a total of 120 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 11.4% less likely to be murdered

Cook Islands has a homicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In New Caledonia, that number is 3.1 per 100,000 as of 2009.

View global rankings →

Sources: The World Factbook (2020–2024), World Bank (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2009–2012). How we calculate this

Compare further: Cook Islands vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 5 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 51.2% more expensive than Cook Islands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Cook Islands is about 79 times smaller than New Caledonia.
→
Moving from Cook Islands to New Caledonia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
Read more

How big is New Caledonia compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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