Quality of life comparison
If you lived in France instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In France, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 67.1% less likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 23.2% more spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). France spends $6,868 as of 2024.
be 39.1% more likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In France, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.4% more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In France, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 15.0% 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 France, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
have 12.1% fewer children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In France, there are 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.7% more on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.5% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 67.9% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.
Safety
be 28.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In France, they kill 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 28.6% more home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. France has 48.9 as of 2024.
live with 2.7 times more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. France withdraws 21% as of 2022.
use 19.3% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. France uses 6,447 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 16.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In France, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 33.4% less CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. France emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. France
France: At a glance
How big is France compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.