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

Health

be 99.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Swaziland, 23.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 17.8 years longer

In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 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 6.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Swaziland spends $922 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 6.5 times more doctors per person

Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.

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have 51.8% more access to essential health services

Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 56.2% less likely to die by suicide

Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 14.9% more likely to be obese

In Swaziland, 29.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 85.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Swaziland, 34.2% 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 12.1 times more money

Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.

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Life

be 94.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Swaziland, approximately 118.0 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 90.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 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 53.4% fewer children

In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 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 15.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% 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 47.5% more likely to have internet access

In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.

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be 24.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 74% 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 13.6% less on education

Swaziland spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 34.1% more on healthcare

Swaziland spends 7.5% 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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Safety

be 88.3% less likely to be murdered

Swaziland has a homicide rate of 12.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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be 73.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 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 15.2 times more home broadband

Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.

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live with 89.6% less strain on fresh water

Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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use 6.7 times more electricity

Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 81.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Swaziland, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.

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emit 6.8 times more CO2

Swaziland emits 0.9 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). 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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