Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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.
be 22.0% more likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
see 36.4% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
be 39.4% more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 62.3% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
have 10.3% more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 75.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 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 17.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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.
Expenditures
spend 79.7% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 46.9% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 10.5 times more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 17.8% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
use 26.8% more electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.