Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Zealand instead of New Caledonia, you would:

Health

live 3.1 years longer

In New Caledonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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.

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Economy

be 54.5% less likely to be unemployed

In New Caledonia, 11.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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make 69.8% more money

New Caledonia has a GDP per capita of $29,213 as of 2024, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.

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Life

have 21.4% fewer children

In New Caledonia, there are approximately 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 14.0% more likely to have internet access

In New Caledonia, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 6.7 times more coastline

New Caledonia has a total of 2,254 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.

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Infrastructure

find 96.4% more home broadband

New Caledonia has 19.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 64.8% less CO2

New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: New Caledonia vs. New Zealand

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Zealand is 19.0% cheaper than New Caledonia overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
New Caledonia is about 14 times smaller than New Zealand.
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Moving from New Caledonia to New Zealand · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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New Zealand: At a glance

New Zealand (sometimes abbreviated NZ) is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 264,537 sq km. The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. That same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both world wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.
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How big is New Zealand compared to New Caledonia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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