Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Iran, you would:
Health
live 4.2 years longer
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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.
see 5.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 99.4% more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 14.9% more access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 38.5% more likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 12.6 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 56.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 61.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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.
have 12.3% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 84.8% more on education
Iran 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.
spend 66.8% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.2 times more coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 68.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.2 times more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 90.1% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 2.1 times more electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 76.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 33.6% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.