Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
live 1.6 years longer
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 75.4% less likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
have 27.7% fewer doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.2% less likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 26.9% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.5% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 57.4% fewer children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.7% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 84.1% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 67.1% less likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 25.6% more home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 42.1% more electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 10.6 times more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 58.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 89.0% more CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.