Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Tuvalu, you would:
Health
live 14.8 years longer
In Tuvalu, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 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 47.7% less likely to be obese
In Tuvalu, 65.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
see 3.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Tuvalu spends $1,671 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 2.7 times more doctors per person
Tuvalu has 13.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 63.5% more access to essential health services
Tuvalu scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
Economy
make 8.2 times more money
Tuvalu has a GDP per capita of $6,041 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Tuvalu, approximately 170.0 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 75.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Tuvalu, approximately 16.5 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 49.8% fewer children
In Tuvalu, there are approximately 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.2% more likely to have internet access
In Tuvalu, approximately 81.2% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 59.5% less on education
Tuvalu spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 62.9% less on healthcare
Tuvalu spends 27.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 630.6 times more coastline
Tuvalu has a total of 24 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 63.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Tuvalu, road accidents kill 17.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 8.4 times more home broadband
Tuvalu has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Tuvalu vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Tuvalu? See an in-depth size comparison.