Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside New Zealand 6.4 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 34 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Netherlands’ highest peak towers 832 m above New Zealand’s.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 3.4 times as many people as New Zealand.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 27 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 6.1 cm taller than in New Zealand.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 5.7 cm taller than in New Zealand.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 4.1 years older than in New Zealand.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.1 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 18% in New Zealand.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · New Zealand: 17.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, New Zealand 5.6.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · New Zealand: 5.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, the Netherlands 1.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · New Zealand: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 5 times the size of New Zealand’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · New Zealand: $264 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 52% more per person than New Zealand.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · New Zealand: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · New Zealand: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.2%.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · New Zealand: 1.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 1× the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · New Zealand: 86% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 36% more on health per person than New Zealand.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · New Zealand: $5,022 (2024)
How long do people live?
New Zealand and the Netherlands are practically level.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · New Zealand: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in New Zealand is 18% more likely to die before turning one than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 7% more doctors per person than New Zealand.
Netherlands: 3.9 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 17% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · New Zealand: 34.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · New Zealand: 9.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.23 points higher than in New Zealand.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · New Zealand: 7.00 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 3% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 11% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 345 kcal more food per person per day than New Zealand.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in New Zealand put in 269 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 0.21 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 51% more tourists per resident than New Zealand (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · New Zealand: 0.6 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The Netherlands has 10 more World Heritage sites than New Zealand (13 against 3).
Netherlands: 13 (2026) · New Zealand: 3 (2026)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 94% in New Zealand.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · New Zealand: 94% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and New Zealand are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · New Zealand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 84% in New Zealand.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · New Zealand: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · New Zealand: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand’s railway network is 36% longer than the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 23% more passengers per resident than those from the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 2.29 (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 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · New Zealand: 37.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 1% more CO₂ than someone in New Zealand.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · New Zealand: 88.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 37% more fine dust than in New Zealand.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.1 times as likely to be murdered in New Zealand as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in New Zealand are 94% deadlier than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Netherlands is on average 0.1 °C warmer than New Zealand.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 80% more rain than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than New Zealand?
New Zealand is larger. The Netherlands fits inside New Zealand 6.4 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or New Zealand?
The Netherlands has 3.4 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or New Zealand?
New Zealand and the Netherlands are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 82.0 in New Zealand.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or New Zealand?
Men in the Netherlands are 6.1 cm taller than in New Zealand (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
