Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Zealand instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

live 5.4 years longer

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 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 44.9% less likely to be obese

In Cook Islands, 55.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In New Zealand, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.1 times more money

Cook Islands has a GDP per capita of $15,600 as of 2022, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $48,800 as of 2023.

be 71.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Cook Islands, 13.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2005. In New Zealand, that number is 3.7% as of 2023.

Life

be 78.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Cook Islands, approximately 15.9 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.

Basic Needs

be 48.1% more likely to have internet access

In Cook Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In New Zealand, about 96.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 30.4% more on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. New Zealand spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 3.1 times more on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 126.1 times more coastline

Cook Islands has a total of 120 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.

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 Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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