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

Health

be 18.2% less likely to die by suicide

Finland has a suicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 40.6% more likely to be obese

In Finland, 24.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 13.3% less spent on your healthcare

Finland spends $6,433 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.

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Economy

be 46.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Finland, 9.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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make 11.7% less money

Finland has a GDP per capita of $56,149 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.

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Life

have 41.4% more children

In Finland, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Finland, approximately 1.9 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.

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Expenditures

spend 18.3% less on education

Finland spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 12.1 times more coastline

Finland has a total of 1,250 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.

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Safety

be 49.0% more likely to be murdered

Finland has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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be 57.1% more likely to die in a road accident

In Finland, road accidents kill 4.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 13.2% more strain on fresh water

Finland withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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use 46.1% less electricity

Finland uses 14,819 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 71.4% more likely to die from air pollution

In Finland, air pollution causes 7.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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.
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