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

Health

be 23.3% less likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Slovakia, that number is 26.1% of people as of 2024.

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be 16.9% less likely to die by suicide

New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Slovakia, it is 9.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 3.6 years less

In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Slovakia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 42.1% less spent on your healthcare

New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Slovakia spends $3,230 as of 2023.

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Economy

make 42.4% less money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Slovakia, the GDP per capita is $28,544 as of 2025.

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Life

be 42.9% 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 Slovakia, 4.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 32.5% 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 Slovakia, on the other hand, 5.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 22.9% fewer children

In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Slovakia, there are 8.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 10.6% less on education

New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Slovakia spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 26.9% less on healthcare

New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Slovakia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 23.3% less likely to be murdered

New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Slovakia, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

live with 69.8% less strain on fresh water

New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Slovakia withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 11.1% less home broadband

New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Slovakia has 33.8 as of 2024.

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use 41.5% less electricity

New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Slovakia uses 4,675 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 2.5 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 Slovakia, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.

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

Slovakia: At a glance

Slovakia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 48,105 sq km. Slovakia's roots can be traced to the 9th century state of Great Moravia. Subsequently, the Slovaks became part of the Hungarian Kingdom, where they remained for the next 1,000 years. Following the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (Magyarization) resulted in a strengthening of Slovak nationalism and a cultivation of cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who were under Austrian rule. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I, the Slovaks joined the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar period, Slovak nationalist leaders pushed for autonomy within Czechoslovakia, and in 1939 Slovakia became an independent state allied with Nazi Germany. Following World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and came under communist rule within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004 and the euro zone on 1 January 2009.
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