Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
New Zealand fits inside Iran 6.5 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 6.2 times as long as Iran’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 5,595 m above New Zealand’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 37% of New Zealand, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · New Zealand: 36.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 17 times as many people as New Zealand
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iran is 2.8 times as densely populated as New Zealand
Iran: 57 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 Iran
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 3.5 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 4.4 years older than in Iran
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.1 more children on average than in New Zealand
Iran: 1.68 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 8.6% in Iran
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · New Zealand: 17.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 21 times as many refugees per resident as New Zealand
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · New Zealand: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · New Zealand: 5.6 (2026)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Iran 1
Iran: 1 (2026) · New Zealand: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 37% larger than New Zealand’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · New Zealand: $264 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 2.9 times as much per person as Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · New Zealand: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · New Zealand: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 5.1% in New Zealand
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · New Zealand: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.1%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · New Zealand: 1.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · New Zealand: 29.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 4.3× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · New Zealand: 86% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 19 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · New Zealand: $5,022 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 4.2 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · New Zealand: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 2.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in New Zealand
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 2 times as many doctors per person as Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
New Zealand has 36% more hospital beds per person than Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · New Zealand: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in New Zealand is 2.2 times that in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · New Zealand: 13 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · New Zealand: 34.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in Iran smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand
Iran: 11.9% (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 1.84 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · New Zealand: 7.00 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 428 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 2.7 times as much meat per person as Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand has 246 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 539 more hours a year than in New Zealand
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 2 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · New Zealand: 0.6 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 27 more World Heritage sites than New Zealand (30 against 3)
Iran: 30 (2026) · New Zealand: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
New Zealand has won 166 Olympic medals, Iran 88
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 166 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 85% in Iran
Iran: 85% (2024) · New Zealand: 94% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · New Zealand: 272 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and New Zealand are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · New Zealand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 77% in Iran
Iran: 77% (2025) · New Zealand: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, New Zealand 130
Iran: 174 (2024) · New Zealand: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 2.3 times as long as New Zealand’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 14 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · New Zealand: 2.82 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 39% of New Zealand, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · New Zealand: 38.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 39% more CO₂ than someone in New Zealand
Iran: 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 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · New Zealand: 88.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 5.4 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 63% more likely to be murdered in Iran than in New Zealand
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 2.7 times as deadly as in New Zealand
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · New Zealand: 10.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 8.2 °C warmer than New Zealand
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 5.9 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than New Zealand?
Iran is larger. New Zealand fits inside Iran 6.5 times.
Which has more people, Iran or New Zealand?
Iran has 17 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or New Zealand?
People in New Zealand live 4.2 years longer than in Iran. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 82.0 in New Zealand.
Are people taller in Iran or New Zealand?
Men in New Zealand are 2.1 cm taller than in Iran (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
