Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Kiribati, you would:
Health
live 15.4 years longer
In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 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.
be 25.4% less likely to be obese
In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
see 13.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 77.1% more access to essential health services
Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 31.8% less likely to die by suicide
Kiribati has a suicide rate of 17.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 19.4 times more money
Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 91.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kiribati, approximately 80.0 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 89.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Kiribati, approximately 38.8 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 56.4% fewer children
In Kiribati, there are approximately 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 26.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kiribati, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 64% 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.
Expenditures
spend 68.2% less on education
Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 13.2 times more coastline
Kiribati has a total of 1,143 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Infrastructure
find 1268.3 times more home broadband
Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 75.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Kiribati, air pollution causes 49.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.2 times more CO2
Kiribati emits 0.6 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: Kiribati vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.