Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.0 years longer

In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022. In New Zealand, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

be 14.9% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In New Zealand, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 16.7% lower top tax rate

United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In New Zealand, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.

make 29.6% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $60,200 as of 2020, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $42,400 as of 2020.

Life

be 52.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 19.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In New Zealand, 9.0 women do as of 2017.

be 33.5% less likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In New Zealand, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 42.3% less on healthcare

United States spends 16.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In New Zealand, that number is 9.7% of GDP as of 2019.

spend 20.0% more on education

United States spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2014. New Zealand spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

Geography

see 24.0% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service, New Zealand Inland Revenue Department.

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 States? See an in-depth size comparison.

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