Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 92.0% less likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.0 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 17.9% more likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
see 37.7% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 12.9% less access to essential health services
New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.2% less likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 30.4% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
have 49.6% more children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.0% less on education
New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 43.4% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.6% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 35.6% less likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 2.8 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 Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.8% more home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 49.1% more electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 121.0 times more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 7.6 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 Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.1 times more CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.