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

Health

be 15.0% less likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 36.6% less likely to die by suicide

New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ecuador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 4.4 years less

In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 77.8% less spent on your healthcare

New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ecuador spends $1,238 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 35.9% fewer doctors per person

New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ecuador has 23.1 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 34.8% less likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ecuador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 85.6% less money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Ecuador, the GDP per capita is $7,125 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 34.4% more children

In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ecuador, there are 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 7.9 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 Ecuador, 55.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Ecuador, on the other hand, 10.9 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 17.5% less likely to have internet access

In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ecuador, about 77.2% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 29.2% less on education

New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ecuador spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

spend 24.9% less on healthcare

New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 85.2% less coastline

New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Ecuador, that number is 2,237 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 31.3 times more likely to be murdered

New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Ecuador, that number is 45.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 3.5 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 Ecuador, they kill 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 15.8% less strain on fresh water

New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ecuador withdraws 7% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 54.7% less home broadband

New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ecuador has 17.2 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 79.0% less electricity

New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 56.1% less CO2

New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 91.7% more likely to die from air pollution

In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ecuador, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Ecuador: At a glance

Ecuador is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 276,841 sq km. What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 30 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period was marred by political instability. Protests in Quito contributed to the mid-term ouster of three of Ecuador's last four democratically elected presidents. In late 2008, voters approved a new constitution, Ecuador's 20th since gaining independence. General elections were held in February 2013, and voters re-elected President Rafael CORREA.
Read more

How big is Ecuador compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Ecuador or New Zealand. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.