The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
New Zealand fits inside the United States 37 times.
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 32% longer than New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 6,160 m above New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 64 times as many people as New Zealand.
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United States is 85% more densely populated than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
New Zealand and the United States are practically level.
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 1.3 cm taller than in the United States.
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 0.74 years older than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.1 more children on average than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 18% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, New Zealand 5.6.
New Zealand: 5.6 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, the United States 1.
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 117 times the size of New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 57% more per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 4.2% in the United States.
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.2%.
New Zealand: 1.2% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.2× New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 2.7 times as much on health per person as New Zealand.
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 3.1 years longer than in the United States.
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 38% more likely to die before turning one than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 2% more doctors per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 35% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.18 points higher than in the United States.
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 8% more alcohol than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 53% more meat per person than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 826 kcal more food per person per day than New Zealand.
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 81 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 1 year longer than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 2.8 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019).
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 94% in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and the United States are practically level.
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 80% in the United States.
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 36 times as long as New Zealand’s.
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 2% more passengers per resident than those from the United States.
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 34% of the United States.
New Zealand: 37.8% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 2.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United States carries 7% more fine dust than in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.9 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 2.2 times as deadly as in New Zealand.
New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
New Zealand is on average 0.8 °C warmer than the United States.
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 88% more rain than the United States.
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. New Zealand fits inside the United States 37 times.
Which has more people, New Zealand or the United States?
The United States has 64 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or the United States?
People in New Zealand live 3.1 years longer than in the United States. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in New Zealand or the United States?
New Zealand and the United States are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
