Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 72.7% less likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
be 24.9% less likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.0 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 73.3% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 13.8% fewer doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
Economy
make 72.0% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
have 38.6% fewer children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.1% less on education
New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 41.0% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 65.8% less likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 24.0% more home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
live with 5.2 times more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
use 18.3% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 5.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 55.1% more CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.