Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
New Zealand is 12% bigger than Romania.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · Romania: 238,400 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 67 times as long as Romania’s.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Romania’s highest peak towers 2,514 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Romania has 3.6 times as many people as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Romania is 4.1 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Romania and New Zealand are practically level.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Romania and New Zealand are practically level.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 5.3 years older than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.2 more children on average than in Romania.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Romania are 65 or older, versus 18% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Romania 2.1.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · Romania: 2.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Romania 1.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Romania’s economy is 62% larger than New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 13% more per person than Romania.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Romania, versus 5.1% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.2%.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · Romania: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Romania’s.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 4.8 times as much on health per person as Romania.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 5.6 years longer than in Romania.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 50% more likely to die before turning one than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania and New Zealand are nearly identical here.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 35% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.37 points higher than in Romania.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 93% more alcohol than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 10% more meat per person than Romania.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 527 kcal more food per person per day than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Romania put in 118 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 1.3 years longer than in Romania.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Romania welcomed 17% more tourists per resident than New Zealand (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 91% in Romania.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and Romania are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 2.6 times as long as New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 19 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 30% of Romania.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · Romania: 30.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 73% more CO₂ than someone in Romania.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 47% in Romania.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Romania carries 2 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 30% more likely to be murdered in New Zealand than in Romania.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Romania are 45% deadlier than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · Romania: 9.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
New Zealand is on average 0.1 °C warmer than Romania.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 2.1 times as much rain as Romania.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Romania?
New Zealand is larger. New Zealand is 12% bigger than Romania.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Romania?
Romania has 3.6 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Romania?
People in New Zealand live 5.6 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Romania?
Romania and New Zealand are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
