Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Samoa fits inside New Zealand 94 times
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2024) · Samoa: 2,840 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 38 times as long as Samoa’s
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Samoa: 403 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Samoa’s highest peak towers 1,827 m above New Zealand’s
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Samoa: 1,857 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 37% of New Zealand, versus 18% of Samoa
New Zealand: 36.8% (2024) · Samoa: 17.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
New Zealand has 24 times as many people as Samoa
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Samoa: 219,306 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Samoa is 3.9 times as densely populated as New Zealand
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Samoa: 79 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 3.3 cm taller than in Samoa
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Samoa: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 0.8 cm taller than in Samoa
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Samoa: 163.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 17 years older than in Samoa
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Samoa: 19.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Samoa have 2.2 more children on average than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Samoa: 3.8 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 6.1% in Samoa
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Samoa: 6.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
New Zealand: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025) · Samoa: no data
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand: 5.6 (2026) · Samoa: no data
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Samoa 2
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Samoa: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
New Zealand’s economy is 205 times the size of Samoa’s
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Samoa: $1.29 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 6.2 times as much per person as Samoa
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Samoa: Int$9,319 (2025)
How many people are looking for work?
New Zealand and Samoa are practically level
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Samoa: 5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
New Zealand: 1.1% (2025) · Samoa: no data
How much does the central government collect in tax?
New Zealand’s central government collects 30% of GDP in tax, Samoa’s 24%
New Zealand: 29.5% (2024) · Samoa: 24% (2023)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Samoa’s
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Samoa: 63% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 17 times as much on health per person as Samoa
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Samoa: $293 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 10 years longer than in Samoa
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Samoa: 71.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Samoa is 3.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in New Zealand
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Samoa: 12.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 6.4 times as many doctors per person as Samoa
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Samoa: 0.6 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
New Zealand: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Samoa: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in New Zealand is 7% higher than in Samoa
New Zealand: 13 per 100k (2023) · Samoa: 12.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
63% of adults in Samoa are obese, versus 35% in New Zealand
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Samoa: 63.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Samoa smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Samoa: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Samoa: no data
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 3 times as much alcohol as in Samoa
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Samoa: 2.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Samoa has 37% more meat per person than New Zealand
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Samoa: 109 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand and Samoa are practically level
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Samoa: 3,116 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Samoa: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 1.5 years longer than in Samoa
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Samoa: 11.3 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as Samoa (2019)
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Samoa: 0.23 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
New Zealand has 3 more World Heritage sites than Samoa (3 against 0)
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Samoa: 0 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
New Zealand has won 166 Olympic medals, Samoa 1
New Zealand: 166 (2026 edition) · Samoa: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 21% in Samoa
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Samoa: 21% (2014)
How fast is home internet?
New Zealand: 272 Mbps (2026) · Samoa: no data
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and Samoa are practically level
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Samoa: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 18% in Samoa
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Samoa: 18% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Samoa 62
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Samoa: 62 (2022)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Samoa: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 15 times as many passengers per resident as those from Samoa
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Samoa: 0.19 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Samoa, but only 39% of New Zealand
New Zealand: 38.9% (2024) · Samoa: 57.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 5.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Samoa
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Samoa: 1.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 44% in Samoa
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Samoa: 43.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in New Zealand carries 71% more fine dust than in Samoa
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Samoa: 4.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.3 times as likely to be murdered in Samoa as in New Zealand
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Samoa: 6.3 per 100k (2018)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Samoa are 17% deadlier than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 10.9 per 100k (2023) · Samoa: 12.8 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Samoa is on average 14.4 °C warmer than New Zealand
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Samoa: 25.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Samoa gets 88% more rain than New Zealand
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Samoa: 3,005 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Samoa?
New Zealand is larger. Samoa fits inside New Zealand 94 times.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Samoa?
New Zealand has 24 times as many people as Samoa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Samoa?
People in New Zealand live 10 years longer than in Samoa. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 71.8 in Samoa.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Samoa?
Men in New Zealand are 3.3 cm taller than in Samoa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).