The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside New Zealand 2.7 times.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 11 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Arab Emirates’ highest peak towers 1,875 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Arab Emirates has 2.2 times as many people as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 8 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 3.6 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 4.1 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 6 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.4 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Arab Emirates’ economy is 2.1 times the size of New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 38% more per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Arab Emirates spends 5.6% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.2%.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the United Arab Emirates’.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 2.1 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.1 years longer than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in New Zealand is 5% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 21% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 30% in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.17 points higher than in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 14 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 17% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates and New Zealand are practically level.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 807 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Arab Emirates went to school 0.11 years longer than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 3.8 times as many tourists per resident as New Zealand (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 94% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 84% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, New Zealand 130.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand’s railway network is 15 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 2.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from New Zealand.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 3.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 8 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 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 the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in New Zealand are 12% deadlier than in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 5.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 17.7 °C warmer than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 34 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
New Zealand is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside New Zealand 2.7 times.
Which has more people, New Zealand or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates has 2.2 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.1 years longer than in New Zealand. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in New Zealand or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in New Zealand are 3.6 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
