Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Spain is 89% bigger than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · Spain: 505,976 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 3 times as long as Spain’s.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Spain’s highest peak towers 3,688 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Spain has 9.3 times as many people as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Spain: 49.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Spain is 4.9 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Spain: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 1.6 cm taller than in Spain.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Spain: 176.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 2.6 cm taller than in Spain.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Spain: 162 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 7.6 years older than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Spain: 44.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.5 more children on average than in Spain.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 18% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Spain: 21.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Spain 1.4.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · Spain: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Spain 1.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Spain: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Spain’s economy is 7.2 times the size of New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Spain produces 4% more per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Spain: Int$59,868 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Spain: 33.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 5.1% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Spain: 10.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Spain and New Zealand are practically level.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · Spain: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Spain’s.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Spain: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 62% more on health per person than Spain.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Spain: $3,107 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Spain live 1.9 years longer than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Spain: 83.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in New Zealand is 54% more likely to die before turning one than in Spain.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 19% more doctors per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 19% in Spain.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Spain: 18.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Spain: 27.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.46 points higher than in Spain.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Spain: 6.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 36% more alcohol than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Spain: 12.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 27% more meat per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Spain: 100.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Spain has 256 kcal more food per person per day than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in New Zealand put in 70 more hours a year than in Spain.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Spain: 1,638 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 2.1 years longer than in Spain.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Spain: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Spain welcomed 3.2 times as many tourists per resident as New Zealand (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Spain: 1.92 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Spain are online, versus 94% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Spain: 96% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and Spain are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Spain: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 81% in Spain.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Spain: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Spain and New Zealand are practically level.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Spain: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Spain’s railway network is 3.9 times as long as New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Spain: 15,963 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 48% more passengers per resident than those from Spain.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Spain: 1.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 37% of Spain.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · Spain: 37.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 35% more CO₂ than someone in Spain.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Spain: 4.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 56% in Spain.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Spain: 55.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Spain carries 43% more fine dust than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Spain: 10 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.1 times as likely to be murdered in New Zealand as in Spain.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in New Zealand are 89% deadlier than in Spain.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · Spain: 3.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Spain is on average 3.7 °C warmer than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 2.4 times as much rain as Spain.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 665 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Spain?
Spain is larger. Spain is 89% bigger than New Zealand.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Spain?
Spain has 9.3 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Spain?
People in Spain live 1.9 years longer than in New Zealand. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 83.9 in Spain.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Spain?
Men in New Zealand are 1.6 cm taller than in Spain (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
