Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside New Zealand 6.5 times.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 4,604 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Switzerland has 71% more people than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 11 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Switzerland are 1.0 cm taller than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
New Zealand and Switzerland are practically level.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 5.1 years older than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.3 more children on average than in Switzerland.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Switzerland are 65 or older, versus 18% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, New Zealand 5.6.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, New Zealand 3.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Switzerland’s economy is 4 times the size of New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 79% more per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Switzerland: 33.8 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
New Zealand and Switzerland are practically level.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
New Zealand and Switzerland are practically level.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · Switzerland: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as New Zealand.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 2.4 years longer than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in New Zealand is 18% more likely to die before turning one than in Switzerland.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 24% more doctors per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Switzerland and New Zealand are practically level.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 1% more alcohol than in Switzerland.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 24% more meat per person than Switzerland.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Switzerland has 281 kcal more food per person per day than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in New Zealand put in 179 more hours a year than in Switzerland.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 1.1 years longer than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 74% more tourists per resident than New Zealand (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 94% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and Switzerland are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 84% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand and Switzerland are practically level.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand and Switzerland are nearly identical here.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 8% more passengers per resident than those from New Zealand.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 32% of Switzerland.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · Switzerland: 32.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 73% more CO₂ than someone in Switzerland.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 68% in Switzerland.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Switzerland carries 29% more fine dust than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.4 times as likely to be murdered in New Zealand as in Switzerland.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in New Zealand are 2.8 times as deadly as in Switzerland.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · Switzerland: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
New Zealand is on average 4.6 °C warmer than Switzerland.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 1% more rain than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Switzerland?
New Zealand is larger. Switzerland fits inside New Zealand 6.5 times.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Switzerland?
Switzerland has 71% more people than New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 2.4 years longer than in New Zealand. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Switzerland?
Men in Switzerland are 1.0 cm taller than in New Zealand (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
