Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Zealand instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 3.4 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 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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Economy

be 81.4% more likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 2.8% 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 13.0% less money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,983 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.3 times more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 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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be 56.9% more likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 36.7% more on education

Hong Kong spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 20.6 times more coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.

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Safety

be 3.8 times more likely to be murdered

Hong Kong has a homicide rate of 0.4 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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Infrastructure

use 25.6% more electricity

Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 30.7% more CO2

Hong Kong emits 4.6 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 (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Hong Kong vs. New Zealand

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Zealand is 32.1% cheaper than Hong Kong overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Hong Kong is about 243 times smaller than New Zealand.
→
Moving from Hong Kong to New Zealand · UN DESA 2020
11,734 people born in Hong Kong live in New Zealand.
→

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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How big is New Zealand compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

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