Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
live 14.9 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
be 23.4% more likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.
see 84.3% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.
have 30.6% less access to essential health services
New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Marshall Islands scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
make 82.9% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.
Life
have 82.1% more children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 22.1 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 Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.7 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 Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 22.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 29.5% less likely to have internet access
In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, about 65.9% do as of 2024.
be 12.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In New Zealand, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 87% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.8% more on education
New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 33.3% more on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 97.6% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.
Safety
be 80.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Marshall Islands, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 93.8% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: At a glance
How big is Marshall Islands compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.