Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Poland is 17% bigger than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · Poland: 313,930 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 34 times as long as Poland’s.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Poland: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Poland’s highest peak towers 2,469 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Poland: 2,499 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Poland has 6.8 times as many people as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Poland: 36.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Poland is 5.9 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Poland: 119 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Poland are 3.0 cm taller than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Poland: 180.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Poland are 1.1 cm taller than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Poland: 165.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Poland is 4 years older than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Poland: 41.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.4 more children on average than in Poland.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Poland are 65 or older, versus 18% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Poland: 20.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Poland has produced 7.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, New Zealand 5.6.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · Poland: 7.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Poland 1.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Poland: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Poland’s economy is 3.9 times the size of New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 6% more per person than Poland.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Poland: Int$54,262 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Poland: 28.5 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 3.0% in Poland.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Poland: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Poland spends 4.2% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.2%.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · Poland: 4.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Poland’s.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Poland: 52% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 2.5 times as much on health per person as Poland.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Poland: $2,014 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 3.6 years longer than in Poland.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Poland: 78.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in New Zealand is 11% more likely to die before turning one than in Poland.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Poland has 12% more doctors per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 26% in Poland.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Poland: 25.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Poland smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Poland: 21.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.23 points higher than in Poland.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Poland: 6.77 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 30% more alcohol than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Poland: 11.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Poland has 5% more meat per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Poland: 83.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 609 kcal more food per person per day than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Poland put in 99 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Poland: 1,807 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Poland went to school 0.33 years longer than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Poland: 13.2 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 11% more tourists per resident than Poland (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Poland: 0.54 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 89% in Poland.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Poland: 89% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and Poland are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Poland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 60% in Poland.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Poland: 60% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Poland has 138 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, New Zealand 130.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Poland: 138 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Poland’s railway network is 4.5 times as long as New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Poland: 18,620 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 12 times as many passengers per resident as those from Poland.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Poland: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 31% of Poland.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · Poland: 31.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Poland emits 14% more CO₂ than someone in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Poland: 7.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 32% in Poland.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Poland: 31.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Poland carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 82% more likely to be murdered in New Zealand than in Poland.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in New Zealand are 2% deadlier than in Poland.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · Poland: 6.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
New Zealand is on average 1.4 °C warmer than Poland.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 2.1 times as much rain as Poland.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Poland: 763 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Poland?
Poland is larger. Poland is 17% bigger than New Zealand.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Poland?
Poland has 6.8 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Poland?
People in New Zealand live 3.6 years longer than in Poland. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 78.4 in Poland.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Poland?
Men in Poland are 3.0 cm taller than in New Zealand (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
