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

Health

live 23.0 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 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.

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see 107.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.

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have 3.1 times more access to essential health services

Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 2.3 times more likely to be obese

In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.

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be 49.7% more likely to die by suicide

Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 73.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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make 75.0 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Somalia, approximately 563.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 93.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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.

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have 74.0% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 98.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% in rural areas) as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 3.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.

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be 32.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.7 times more on healthcare

Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 5.0 times more coastline

Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.

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Safety

be 67.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 52.8 times more home broadband

Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.

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live with 67.2% less strain on fresh water

Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 81.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.

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emit 120.2 times more CO2

Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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

New Zealand: At a glance

New Zealand (sometimes abbreviated NZ) is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 264,537 sq km. The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. That same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both world wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.
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