Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 47.5% less likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.

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be 87.7% less likely to die by suicide

New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Maldives, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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see 59.0% less spent on your healthcare

New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Maldives spends $2,288 as of 2023.

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have 38.1% fewer doctors per person

New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Maldives has 22.4 as of 2019.

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have 28.2% less access to essential health services

New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Maldives scores 61 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 11.2% less likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Maldives, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.

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make 70.5% less money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Maldives, the GDP per capita is $14,615 as of 2025.

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Life

be 4.6 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 Maldives, 32.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 17.5% 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 Maldives, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 95.7% less coastline

New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Maldives, that number is 644 km.

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Safety

be 57.5% less likely to be murdered

New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Maldives, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2019.

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be 80.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Maldives, they kill 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 48.4% less home broadband

New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Maldives has 19.6 as of 2024.

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live with 94.7% more strain on fresh water

New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Maldives withdraws 16% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 40.6% less CO2

New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.4 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 Maldives, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.

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

Compare further: New Zealand vs. Maldives

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Maldives is 20.0% cheaper than New Zealand overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
New Zealand is about 902 times bigger than Maldives.
→
Moving from New Zealand to Maldives · UN DESA 2020
17 people born in New Zealand live in Maldives.
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Maldives: At a glance

Maldives is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 298 sq km. A sultanate since the 12th century, the Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM dominated the islands' political scene for 30 years, elected to six successive terms by single-party referendums. Following political demonstrations in the capital Male in August 2003, the president and his government pledged to embark upon a process of liberalization and democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Progress was sluggish, however, and many promised reforms were slow to be realized. Nonetheless, political parties were legalized in 2005. In June 2008, a constituent assembly - termed the "Special Majlis" - finalized a new constitution, which was ratified by the president in August. The first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate, multi-party system were held in October 2008. GAYOOM was defeated in a runoff poll by Mohamed NASHEED, a political activist who had been jailed several years earlier by the former regime. President NASHEED faced a number of challenges including strengthening democracy and combating poverty and drug abuse. In early February 2012, after several weeks of street protests following his sacking of a top judge, NASHEED resigned the presidency and handed over power to Vice President Mohammed WAHEED Hassan Maniku. In mid-2012, a Commission of National Inquiry was set by the government to probe events leading up to NASHEED's resignation. Though the commission found no evidence of a coup, the report recommended the need to strengthen the country's democratic institutions to avert similar events in the future, and to further investigate alleged police misconduct during the crisis. Maldivian officials have played a prominent role in international climate change discussions (due to the islands' low elevation and the threat from sea-level rise) on the UN Human Rights Council and in other international forums, as well as in encouraging regional cooperation, especially between India and Pakistan.
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