Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
live 14.9 years longer
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 18.9% less likely to be obese
In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
see 6.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 44.1% more access to essential health services
Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
Economy
make 5.8 times more money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 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 82.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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 45.1% fewer children
In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 41.9% more likely to have internet access
In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
be 14.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Marshall Islands, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 94% 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 32.3% less on education
Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 25.0% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 40.9 times more coastline
Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 44.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.2 times more home broadband
Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.