Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Serbia, you would:
Health
live 6.0 years longer
In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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.
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Serbia spends $2,303 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 16.5% more doctors per person
Serbia has 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 18.1% more access to essential health services
Serbia scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 21.3% less likely to die by suicide
Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 55.8% more likely to be obese
In Serbia, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 28.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Serbia, 7.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 3.2 times more money
Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Serbia, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Serbia, approximately 4.6 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 19.9% more children
In Serbia, there are approximately 9.2 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 53.2% more on education
Serbia spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 25.3% more on healthcare
Serbia spends 8.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 10.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Serbia, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 11.5% more likely to be murdered
Serbia has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 14.0% more home broadband
Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
use 57.0% more electricity
Serbia uses 5,090 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
live with 40.2% more strain on fresh water
Serbia withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 73.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Serbia, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Serbia vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Serbia? See an in-depth size comparison.