Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
New Zealand fits inside Norway 2.3 times.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · Norway: 624,500 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Norway’s coastline is 66% longer than New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Norway: 25,148 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Norway’s highest peak towers 2,439 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Norway: 2,469 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Norway has 5% more people than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Norway: 5.61 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
New Zealand is 31% more densely populated than Norway.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Norway: 15 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Norway are 2.8 cm taller than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Norway: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Norway are 1.8 cm taller than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Norway: 166.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Norway is 2.3 years older than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Norway: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.1 more children on average than in Norway.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Norway: 1.45 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
19% of people in Norway are 65 or older, versus 18% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Norway: 19.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Norway has produced 23.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, New Zealand 5.6.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · Norway: 23.2 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand and Norway are practically level.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Norway: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Norway’s economy is 2 times the size of New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Norway: $531 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Norway produces 81% more per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Norway: Int$104,044 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Norway: 26.5 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
New Zealand and Norway are practically level.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Norway: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Norway spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.2%.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · Norway: 2.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Norway’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Norway: 91% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Norway spends 65% more on health per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Norway: $8,296 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Norway live 1.2 years longer than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Norway: 83.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in New Zealand is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Norway.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Norway: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Norway has 38% more doctors per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Norway: 5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 21% in Norway.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Norway: 20.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in Norway smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Norway: 12.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Norway rate their lives 0.25 points higher than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Norway: 7.24 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 27% more alcohol than in Norway.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Norway: 7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 13% more meat per person than Norway.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Norway: 70.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Norway has 354 kcal more food per person per day than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Norway: 3,476 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in New Zealand put in 295 more hours a year than in Norway.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Norway: 1,412 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Norway went to school 0.24 years longer than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Norway: 13.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Norway welcomed 52% more tourists per resident than New Zealand (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Norway: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
99% of people in Norway are online, versus 94% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Norway: 99% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and Norway are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Norway: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
New Zealand and Norway are practically level.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Norway: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Norway 109.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Norway: 109 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand’s railway network is 6% longer than Norway’s.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Norway: 3,885 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Norway: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 34% of Norway.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · Norway: 33.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Norway emits 7% more CO₂ than someone in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Norway: 6.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
99% of Norway’s electricity is renewable, versus 89% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Norway: 99% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in New Zealand carries 4% more fine dust than in Norway.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Norway: 6.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in New Zealand as in Norway.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Norway: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in New Zealand are 4.4 times as deadly as in Norway.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · Norway: 1.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
New Zealand is on average 9.5 °C warmer than Norway.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Norway: 1.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 27% more rain than Norway.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Norway: 1,259 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Norway?
Norway is larger. New Zealand fits inside Norway 2.3 times.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Norway?
Norway has 5% more people than New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Norway?
People in Norway live 1.2 years longer than in New Zealand. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 83.2 in Norway.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Norway?
Men in Norway are 2.8 cm taller than in New Zealand (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
