Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Thailand is 92% bigger than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · Thailand: 513,115 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 4.7 times as long as Thailand’s.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Thailand: 3,219 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Thailand’s highest peak towers 2,535 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Thailand: 2,565 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Thailand has 13 times as many people as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Thailand: 71.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Thailand is 6.9 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Thailand: 140 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 6.1 cm taller than in Thailand.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Thailand: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 5.2 cm taller than in Thailand.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Thailand: 159.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Thailand is 2.4 years older than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Thailand: 39.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.4 more children on average than in Thailand.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Thailand: 1.2 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 16% in Thailand.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Thailand: 16% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Thailand 0.0.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · Thailand: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Thailand 1.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Thailand: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Thailand’s economy is 2.2 times the size of New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Thailand: $577 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 2.2 times as much per person as Thailand.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Thailand: Int$26,250 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Thailand: 33.3 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 0.8% in Thailand.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Thailand: 0.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
New Zealand and Thailand are practically level.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · Thailand: 1.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 2.8× Thailand’s.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Thailand: 31% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 15 times as much on health per person as Thailand.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Thailand: $327 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 5.4 years longer than in Thailand.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Thailand: 76.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Thailand is 93% more likely to die before turning one than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Thailand: 7.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 6.7 times as many doctors per person as Thailand.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Thailand: 0.5 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 16% in Thailand.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Thailand: 15.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Thailand smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Thailand: 17.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.70 points higher than in Thailand.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Thailand: 6.30 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 12% more alcohol than in Thailand.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Thailand: 7.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 3.2 times as much meat per person as Thailand.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Thailand: 24.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand has 266 kcal more food per person per day than Thailand.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Thailand: 2,855 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Thailand put in 470 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Thailand: 2,177 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 3.8 years longer than in Thailand.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Thailand: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 8% more tourists per resident than Thailand (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Thailand: 0.56 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 91% in Thailand.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Thailand: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and Thailand are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Thailand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 63% in Thailand.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Thailand: 63% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Thailand has 161 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, New Zealand 130.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Thailand: 161 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand and Thailand are nearly identical here.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Thailand: 4,092 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 3.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Thailand.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Thailand: 0.72 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 39% of Thailand, but only 38% of New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · Thailand: 38.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 67% more CO₂ than someone in Thailand.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Thailand: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Thailand.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Thailand: 16.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Thailand carries 3.3 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Thailand: 23.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Thailand: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Thailand are 3.8 times as deadly as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · Thailand: 25.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Thailand is on average 15.7 °C warmer than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Thailand: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Thailand gets 4% more rain than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Thailand: 1,657 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Thailand?
Thailand is larger. Thailand is 92% bigger than New Zealand.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Thailand?
Thailand has 13 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Thailand?
People in New Zealand live 5.4 years longer than in Thailand. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 76.6 in Thailand.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Thailand?
Men in New Zealand are 6.1 cm taller than in Thailand (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
