Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Zealand instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 10.8 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 4.5 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In New Zealand, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 28.7 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $48,800 as of 2023.

be 24.7% more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 3.7% as of 2023.

Life

be 93.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 84.5% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 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.

Basic Needs

be 82.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 55% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In New Zealand, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

Geography

see 6.1 times more coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 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.
Read more

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

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New Zealand.or North Korea It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.