Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
see 49.6% more spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 20.7% more doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
live 1.1 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 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 7.0 times more likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
have 12.3% more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 33.9% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 11.5 times more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 11.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.5% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 47.7% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 82.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 67.1% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.