Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.8 years longer

In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022. In Singapore, that number is 86 years (84 years for men, 89 years for women) as of 2022.

be 80.2% less likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Singapore, that number is 6.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.6 times more money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $48,800 as of 2023, while in Singapore, the GDP per capita is $127,500 as of 2023.

pay a 33.3% lower top tax rate

New Zealand has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Singapore, the top tax rate is 22.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 54.9% less likely to die during infancy

In New Zealand, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Singapore, on the other hand, 1.6 children do as of 2022.

have 30.2% fewer children

In New Zealand, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Singapore, there are 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 53.3% less on education

New Zealand spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Singapore spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 39.0% less on healthcare

New Zealand spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Singapore, that number is 6.1% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 98.7% less coastline

New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Singapore, that number is 193 km.

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

Singapore: At a glance

Singapore is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 709 sq km. Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
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How big is Singapore compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.

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