Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Estonia instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 40.3% less likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.
live 2.7 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 32.9% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Estonia spends $3,741 as of 2024.
be 25.3% more likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Estonia, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.6% more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Estonia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 30.6% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Estonia, the GDP per capita is $34,418 as of 2025.
Life
be 28.6% less 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 Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.5% less 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 Estonia, on the other hand, 1.5 children do as of 2024.
have 35.6% fewer children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Estonia, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.1% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 74.9% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Estonia, that number is 3,794 km.
Safety
be 33.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Estonia, they kill 4.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 62.1% more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Estonia withdraws 13% as of 2022.
use 33.7% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Estonia uses 5,298 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 29.1% more CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Estonia emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. Estonia
Estonia: At a glance
How big is Estonia compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.