Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
New Zealand fits inside Colombia 4.3 times.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 4.7 times as long as Colombia’s.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 5,700 m above New Zealand’s.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Colombia has 10 times as many people as New Zealand.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Colombia is 2.4 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 5.9 cm taller than in Colombia.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 6.7 cm taller than in Colombia.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 5.7 years older than in Colombia.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Colombia have 0.1 more children on average than in New Zealand.
Colombia: 1.63 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 10% in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.2% (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, Colombia 0.4.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · New Zealand: 5.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Colombia 1.
Colombia: 1 (2026) · New Zealand: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Colombia’s economy is 73% larger than New Zealand’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · New Zealand: $264 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 2.5 times as much per person as Colombia.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · New Zealand: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 5.1% in New Zealand.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · New Zealand: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.2%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · New Zealand: 1.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 2.3× Colombia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · New Zealand: 86% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 7.8 times as much on health per person as Colombia.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · New Zealand: $5,022 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 4.1 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · New Zealand: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Colombia is 2.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in New Zealand.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 42% more doctors per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 25% in Colombia.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · New Zealand: 34.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
9.3% of adults in New Zealand smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 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 0.96 points higher than in Colombia.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · New Zealand: 7.00 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 82% more alcohol than in Colombia.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 27% more meat per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Colombia and New Zealand are practically level.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 763 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 3.9 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 6.9 times as many tourists per resident as Colombia (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · New Zealand: 0.6 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · New Zealand: 94% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in New Zealand have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · New Zealand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · New Zealand: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, New Zealand 130.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · New Zealand: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand’s railway network is 93% longer than Colombia’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 3.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Colombia.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · New Zealand: 2.82 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 53% of Colombia, but only 38% of New Zealand.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · New Zealand: 37.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 3.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 77% in Colombia.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · New Zealand: 88.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Colombia carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 17 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in New Zealand.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 2.5 times as deadly as in New Zealand.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 13.3 °C warmer than New Zealand.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 2 times as much rain as New Zealand.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than New Zealand?
Colombia is larger. New Zealand fits inside Colombia 4.3 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or New Zealand?
Colombia has 10 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or New Zealand?
People in New Zealand live 4.1 years longer than in Colombia. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 82.0 in New Zealand.
Are people taller in Colombia or New Zealand?
Men in New Zealand are 5.9 cm taller than in Colombia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
