Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
live 3.0 years longer
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 15.2% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
see 60.5% more spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 14.9% more access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 12.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 43.6% more money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
be 67.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 14.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 33.2% fewer children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.3% more on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 76.8% more on healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 5.7 times more coastline
Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 64.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 55.3% more likely to be murdered
Saudi Arabia has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
live with 99.2% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 13.7% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
use 32.9% less electricity
Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 86.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 67.5% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 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: Saudi Arabia vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.