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

Health

be 92.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 16.0 years longer

In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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.

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see 59.2 times more spent on your healthcare

Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.

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have 40.1 times more doctors per person

Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.

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have 84.8% more access to essential health services

Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 2.7 times more likely to be obese

In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide

Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 22.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Gambia, 6.5% 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 54.0 times more money

Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 87.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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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have 63.1% fewer children

In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 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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Basic Needs

be 49.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 89.0% more likely to have internet access

In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.

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be 14.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 85.4% more on education

Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 3.5 times more on healthcare

Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 189.2 times more coastline

Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.

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Safety

be 70.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 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

find 73.2 times more home broadband

Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.

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live with 3.6 times more strain on fresh water

Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 86.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.

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emit 33.4 times more CO2

Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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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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