Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Zealand instead of Kiribati, you would:

Health

live 14.6 years longer

In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 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 33.0% less likely to be obese

In Kiribati, 46.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In New Zealand, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 15.2 times more money

Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $3,200 as of 2023, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $48,800 as of 2023.

be 87.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Kiribati, 30.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2010. In New Zealand, that number is 3.7% as of 2023.

Life

be 90.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Kiribati, approximately 76.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 89.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Kiribati, approximately 32.9 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.

have 36.0% fewer children

In Kiribati, there are approximately 19.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 77.8% more likely to have internet access

In Kiribati, approximately 54.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In New Zealand, about 96.0% do as of 2021.

be 22.0% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Kiribati, approximately 82% of people have improved drinking water access (97% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 51.6% less on education

Kiribati spends 12.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. New Zealand spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 13.8% less on healthcare

Kiribati spends 11.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 13.2 times more coastline

Kiribati has a total of 1,143 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 Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.

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