The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Philippines is 12% bigger than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · Philippines: 300,000 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 2.4 times as long as New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Philippines’ highest peak towers 2,924 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Philippines has 22 times as many people as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Philippines: 117 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 19 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Philippines: 392 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 12.5 cm taller than in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 10.5 cm taller than in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 12 years older than in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Philippines: 25.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Philippines have 0.3 more children on average than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Philippines: 1.89 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 5.7% in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Philippines: 5.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the Philippines 0.1.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · Philippines: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, the Philippines 2.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Philippines: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Philippines’ economy is 84% larger than New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Philippines: $487 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 4.6 times as much per person as the Philippines.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Philippines: 39.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 2.2% in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Philippines: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Philippines and New Zealand are practically level.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · Philippines: 1.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 2.6× the Philippines’.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Philippines: 33% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 26 times as much on health per person as the Philippines.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Philippines: $194 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 12 years longer than in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Philippines: 69.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Philippines is 5.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 4.6 times as many doctors per person as the Philippines.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 9.7% in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Philippines: 9.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in the Philippines smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Philippines: 19.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.79 points higher than in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Philippines: 6.21 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 45% more alcohol than in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 2.4 times as much meat per person as the Philippines.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand has 139 kcal more food per person per day than the Philippines.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Philippines put in 388 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 2.9 years longer than in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Philippines: 10 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 26 times as many tourists per resident as the Philippines (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Philippines: 0.02 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 67% in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Philippines: 67% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in New Zealand have electricity, versus 95% in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Philippines: 94.8% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Philippines: 56% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Philippines 115.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Philippines: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand’s railway network is 8.1 times as long as the Philippines’.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Philippines: 509 km (2016)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 7.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Philippines.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Philippines: 0.36 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 24% of the Philippines.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · Philippines: 24.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 4.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Philippines: 1.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in the Philippines.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Philippines: 23.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Philippines carries 3.3 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3 times as likely to be murdered in the Philippines as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Philippines are 47% deadlier than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · Philippines: 9.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Philippines is on average 15.3 °C warmer than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 88% more rain than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Philippines: 3,001 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than the Philippines?
The Philippines is larger. The Philippines is 12% bigger than New Zealand.
Which has more people, New Zealand or the Philippines?
The Philippines has 22 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or the Philippines?
People in New Zealand live 12 years longer than in the Philippines. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 69.9 in the Philippines.
Are people taller in New Zealand or the Philippines?
Men in New Zealand are 12.5 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).