Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 4.1 years less

In France, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 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.

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Economy

be 48.1% more likely to be unemployed

In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2025.

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make 40.4% less money

France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.

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Life

have 44.6% more children

In France, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Geography

see 53.6% less coastline

France has a total of 4,853 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

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Infrastructure

find 60.4% less home broadband

France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Caledonia has 19.4 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 4.3 times more CO2

France emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Compare further: France vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 15.6% more expensive than France overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
France is about 30 times bigger than New Caledonia.
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Moving from France to New Caledonia · UN DESA 2020
46,642 people born in France live in New Caledonia.
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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.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.

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