World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside New Zealand 2.4 times
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 34 times as long as the median country’s
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 2,305 m above New Zealand’s
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 38% of the median country, versus 37% of New Zealand
New Zealand: 36.8% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 39% more people than New Zealand
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 4.9 times as densely populated as New Zealand
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 4.2 cm taller than in the median country
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 4.1 cm taller than in the median country
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 6.2 years older than in the median country
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.3 more children on average than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The median country hosts 2 times as many refugees per resident as New Zealand
New Zealand: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country none
New Zealand: 5.6 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, the median country 1
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
New Zealand’s economy is 5.8 times the size of the median country’s
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 2.7 times as much per person as the median country
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
New Zealand: no data · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
The median country and New Zealand are practically level
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, New Zealand 1.1%
New Zealand: 1.1% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
New Zealand’s central government collects 30% of GDP in tax, the median country’s 17%
New Zealand: 29.5% (2024) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× the median country’s
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 11 times as much on health per person as the median country
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 7.4 years longer than in the median country
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 3.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in New Zealand
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 2.2 times as many doctors per person as the median country
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
New Zealand has 4% more hospital beds per person than the median country
New Zealand: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in New Zealand is 30% higher than in the median country
New Zealand: 13 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 24% in the median country
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 1.16 points higher than in the median country
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 2 times as much alcohol as in the median country
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 41% more meat per person than the median country
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand has 184 kcal more food per person per day than the median country
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 267 more hours a year than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 2.9 years longer than in the median country
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 74% more tourists per resident than the median country (2019)
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
New Zealand and the median country are practically level
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
New Zealand has won 166 Olympic medals, the median country 4
New Zealand: 166 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 82% in the median country
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in New Zealand is 69% faster than in the median country
New Zealand: 272 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
New Zealand and the median country are practically level
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 64% in the median country
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand’s railway network is 93% longer than the median country’s
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 12 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 39% of New Zealand, but only 33% of the median country
New Zealand: 38.9% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 55% more likely to be murdered in the median country than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 71% deadlier than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 10.9 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 11.9 °C warmer than New Zealand
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 57% more rain than the median country
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than the median country?
New Zealand is larger. The median country fits inside New Zealand 2.4 times.
Which has more people, New Zealand or the median country?
The median country has 39% more people than New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or the median country?
People in New Zealand live 7.4 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in New Zealand or the median country?
Men in New Zealand are 4.2 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).