Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Dominica, you would:

Health

live 7.6 years longer

In Dominica, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 41.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Dominica, 29.0% live below the poverty line as of 2009. In New Caledonia, however, that number is 17.0% as of 2008.

View global rankings →

make 2.7 times more money

Dominica has a GDP per capita of $10,989 as of 2025, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Life

have 27.8% more children

In Dominica, there are approximately 11.0 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 →

Geography

see 15.2 times more coastline

Dominica has a total of 148 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 13.4 times more CO2

Dominica emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2024–2025), The World Factbook (2008–2009). How we calculate this

Compare further: Dominica vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 89.6% more expensive than Dominica overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Dominica is about 25 times smaller than New Caledonia.
→
Moving from Dominica 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 Dominica? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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