The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
New Zealand is 10% bigger than the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 22% longer than the United Kingdom’s.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Kingdom’s highest peak towers 1,315 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 13 times as many people as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 14 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
The United Kingdom and New Zealand are practically level.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
New Zealand and the United Kingdom are practically level.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 2.5 years older than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in New Zealand have 0.0 more children on average than in the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 18% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, New Zealand 5.6.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, the United Kingdom 1.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 15 times the size of New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 13% more per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
New Zealand and the United Kingdom are practically level.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.2%.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1× New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 17% more on health per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 0.62 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 2% more likely to die before turning one than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 9% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 29% in the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in the United Kingdom smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.30 points higher than in the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 18% more alcohol than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 6% more meat per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 313 kcal more food per person per day than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in New Zealand put in 185 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 0.61 years longer than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 9% more tourists per resident than the United Kingdom (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 94% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and the United Kingdom are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 3.9 times as long as New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 65% more passengers per resident than those from the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 38% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 52% in the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Kingdom carries 26% more fine dust than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 31% more likely to be murdered in New Zealand than in the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in New Zealand are 2.8 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
New Zealand is on average 1.2 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 49% more rain than the United Kingdom.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than the United Kingdom?
New Zealand is larger. New Zealand is 10% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Which has more people, New Zealand or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 13 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or the United Kingdom?
People in New Zealand live 0.62 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in New Zealand or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom and New Zealand are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
