Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Zealand instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 99.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2020.

live 17.2 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 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.

Economy

make 3.4 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $48,800 as of 2023.

be 86.6% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 3.7% as of 2023.

pay a 26.7% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In New Zealand, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 94.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2020.

be 86.7% less likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 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 28.8% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 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 15.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 86% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In New Zealand, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 33.3% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In New Zealand, about 96.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 16.3% more on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 10.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 5.4 times more coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 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 Inland Revenue Department, South African Revenue Service.

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 South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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