Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Zealand instead of United Kingdom, you would:

Health

be 24.3% more likely to be obese

In United Kingdom, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 15.6% less spent on your healthcare

United Kingdom spends $6,606 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.

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be 24.8% more likely to die by suicide

United Kingdom has a suicide rate of 9.6 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

make 13.9% less money

United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $57,602 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.

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Life

have 11.5% more children

In United Kingdom, there are approximately 9.9 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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Expenditures

spend 11.8% less on education

United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 21.8% more coastline

United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.

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Safety

be 30.4% more likely to be murdered

United Kingdom has a homicide rate of 1.1 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 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident

In United Kingdom, road accidents kill 2.4 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

live with 43.9% less strain on fresh water

United Kingdom withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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use 90.4% more electricity

United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 42.4% more CO2

United Kingdom emits 4.2 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: United Kingdom vs. New Zealand

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Zealand is 20.1% cheaper than United Kingdom overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
United Kingdom is around the same size as New Zealand.
→
Moving from United Kingdom to New Zealand · OECD 2023
5,847 people moved from United Kingdom to New Zealand.
→
City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of London vs Auckland
→

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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How big is New Zealand compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.

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