Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tuvalu instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
live 14.8 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 91.3% more likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 65.1% of people as of 2024.
see 70.0% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tuvalu spends $1,671 as of 2023.
have 62.7% fewer doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Tuvalu has 13.5 as of 2020.
have 38.8% less access to essential health services
New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tuvalu scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
make 87.8% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Tuvalu, the GDP per capita is $6,041 as of 2025.
Life
have 99.2% more children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tuvalu, there are 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 24.3 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 Tuvalu, 170.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.1 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 Tuvalu, on the other hand, 16.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.2% less likely to have internet access
In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tuvalu, about 81.2% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on education
New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Tuvalu spends 12.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 27.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.8% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Tuvalu, that number is 24 km.
Safety
be 2.7 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 Tuvalu, they kill 17.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 88.1% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tuvalu has 4.5 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. Tuvalu
Tuvalu: At a glance
How big is Tuvalu compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.