Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 26.8 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 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 3.7 times more likely to be obese

In Somalia, 8.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In New Zealand, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 32.5 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2023, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $48,800 as of 2023.

be 80.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 19.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 3.7% as of 2023.

Life

be 98.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Somalia, approximately 621.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 96.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Somalia, approximately 86.5 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 66.3% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 37.4 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 2.0 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Somalia, approximately 49% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In New Zealand, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 6.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 14.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In New Zealand, about 96.0% do as of 2021.

be 18.8% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Somalia, approximately 84% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 74% 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 20.0 times more on education

Somalia spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. New Zealand spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 5.0 times more coastline

Somalia has a total of 3,025 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 Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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