Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
New Zealand fits inside China 36 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 4% longer than China’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 8,819 m above New Zealand’s.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 264 times as many people as New Zealand.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 7.4 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 2.1 cm taller than in China.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 1.2 cm taller than in China.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 1.8 years older than in New Zealand.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.6 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 15% in China.
China: 14.9% (2025) · New Zealand: 17.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
China: 0.1 (2025) · New Zealand: 5.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, China 1.
China: 1 (2026) · New Zealand: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 74 times the size of New Zealand’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · New Zealand: $264 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 2 times as much per person as China.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
China: 36 (2022) · New Zealand: no data
How many people are looking for work?
New Zealand and China are practically level.
China: 4.6% (2025) · New Zealand: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.2%.
China: 1.7% (2024) · New Zealand: 1.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× China’s.
China: 47% (2025) · New Zealand: 86% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 6.6 times as much on health per person as China.
China: $763 (2023) · New Zealand: $5,022 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 4 years longer than in China.
China: 78 years (2024) · New Zealand: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in China is 2% more likely to die before turning one than in New Zealand.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 16% more doctors per person than China.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · New Zealand: 34.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
China: 22.8% (2024) · New Zealand: 9.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.92 points higher than in China.
China: 6.07 (2025) · New Zealand: 7.00 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 2.4 times as much alcohol as in China.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 8% more meat per person than China.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 405 kcal more food per person per day than New Zealand.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 620 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 4.8 years longer than in China.
China: 8 years (2023) · New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 13 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · New Zealand: 0.6 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 92% in China.
China: 92% (2025) · New Zealand: 94% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
China and New Zealand are practically level.
China: 100% (2024) · New Zealand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 66% in China.
China: 66% (2025) · New Zealand: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, New Zealand 130.
China: 132 (2024) · New Zealand: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 27 times as long as New Zealand’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 6.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from China.
China: 0.44 (2023) · New Zealand: 2.82 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 24% of China.
China: 24% (2023) · New Zealand: 37.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 39% more CO₂ than someone in New Zealand.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China.
China: 37% (2025) · New Zealand: 88.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 4.5 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.9 times as likely to be murdered in New Zealand as in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 2.6 times as deadly as in New Zealand.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
New Zealand is on average 3.3 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 2 times as much rain as China.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than New Zealand?
China is larger. New Zealand fits inside China 36 times.
Which has more people, China or New Zealand?
China has 264 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or New Zealand?
People in New Zealand live 4 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 82.0 in New Zealand.
Are people taller in China or New Zealand?
Men in New Zealand are 2.1 cm taller than in China (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
