Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
New Zealand fits inside Russia 64 times.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Russia’s coastline is 2.5 times as long as New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Russia’s highest peak towers 5,612 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Russia has 27 times as many people as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Russia: 144 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
New Zealand is 2.3 times as densely populated as Russia.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Russia: 9 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 1.1 cm taller than in Russia.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Russia: 176.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
New Zealand and Russia are practically level.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Russia: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Russia is 2.2 years older than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Russia: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.2 more children on average than in Russia.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Russia and New Zealand are practically level.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Russia: 17.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Russia 2.0.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · Russia: 2 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Russia 1.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Russia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Russia’s economy is 9.7 times the size of New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 16% more per person than Russia.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Russia: Int$49,568 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Russia: 33 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 2.1% in Russia.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Russia: 2.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.1% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.2%.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · Russia: 7.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 2.4× Russia’s.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Russia: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 5 times as much on health per person as Russia.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Russia: $1,003 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 8.6 years longer than in Russia.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Russia: 73.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Russia is 2% more likely to die before turning one than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 42% more doctors per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 21% in Russia.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Russia: 21.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Russia: 27% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 1.16 points higher than in Russia.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Russia: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Russia drink 18% more alcohol than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Russia: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Russia has 7% more meat per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Russia: 84.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Russia has 407 kcal more food per person per day than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Russia put in 379 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Russia: 2,087 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 0.47 years longer than in Russia.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Russia: 12.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Russia: no data
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Russia are online, versus 94% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Russia: 94% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and Russia are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Russia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 75% in Russia.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Russia: 75% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, New Zealand 130.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Russia: 186 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Russia’s railway network is 21 times as long as New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Russia: 85,544 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 4.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Russia.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Russia: 0.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Russia, but only 38% of New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · Russia: 49.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Russia emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Russia: 12.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Russia.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Russia: 17.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Russia carries 84% more fine dust than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.4 times as likely to be murdered in Russia as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Russia are 61% deadlier than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · Russia: 10.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
New Zealand is on average 13.7 °C warmer than Russia.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 2.7 times as much rain as Russia.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Russia?
Russia is larger. New Zealand fits inside Russia 64 times.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Russia?
Russia has 27 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Russia?
People in New Zealand live 8.6 years longer than in Russia. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 73.4 in Russia.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Russia?
Men in New Zealand are 1.1 cm taller than in Russia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
