Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Kuwait, you would:
Health
be 15.8% less likely to be obese
In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 58.9% more doctors per person
Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
live 2.6 years less
In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 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 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 53.5% more money
Kuwait has a GDP per capita of $32,312 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 42.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 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 10.1% more children
In Kuwait, 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.
Expenditures
spend 19.1% less on education
Kuwait spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Kuwait spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 30.3 times more coastline
Kuwait has a total of 499 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 28.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.8 times more likely to be murdered
Kuwait has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 37.7 times more home broadband
Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 51.6% less electricity
Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 73.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 74.6% less CO2
Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Kuwait vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.