Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.8 years less

In Singapore, the average life expectancy is 86 years (84 years for men, 89 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 5.0 times more likely to be obese

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

Economy

make 61.7% less money

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

pay a 50.0% higher top tax rate

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

Life

have 43.2% more children

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

be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Singapore, approximately 1.6 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 2.1 times more on education

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

spend 63.9% more on healthcare

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

Geography

see 78.4 times more coastline

Singapore has a total of 193 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, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, 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 Singapore? See an in-depth size comparison.

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