New Zealand at its true size
New Zealand covers 268,021 km², number 74 of 194 countries by area. Home to 5,324,700 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.79× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50mRemote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
| Area | 268,021 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 5,324,700 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 20 per km² |
| Capital | Wellington |
| Local time in Wellington | |
| Time zone | UTC+12, summer time UTC+13 · UTC+12 to UTC+12:45, 2 time zones IANA |
| Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZD) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Australia and New Zealand, Oceania |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | OECD |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +64 |
| Codes | NZ · NZL · 554 |
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Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where New Zealand ranks
Among the independent states, in 42 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#123 of 1945.3 million people#3 of 13 in Oceania
- Population density#167 of 19420 people per km²#12 of 13 in Oceania
- Urban population#33 of 19284% urban#3 of 13 in Oceania
- Fertility rate#126 of 1921.57 births per woman#12 of 13 in Oceania
- Population growth#116 of 192+0.65% a year#6 of 13 in Oceania
- Birth rate#125 of 19211.0 births per 1,000 people#11 of 13 in Oceania
- Death rate#97 of 1927.1 deaths per 1,000 people#5 of 13 in Oceania
- Children under 15#129 of 19217.9% under 15#11 of 13 in Oceania
- People over 65#43 of 19217.6% aged 65 and over#2 of 13 in Oceania
- Net migration#28 of 192+3.3 per 1,000 people#2 of 13 in Oceania
- Refugees abroad#155 of 1900.01 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#10 of 13 in Oceania
Health & education
- Life expectancy#29 of 19282.0 years#2 of 13 in Oceania
- Infant mortality#155 of 1914.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#12 of 13 in Oceania
- Doctors#41 of 1783.61 doctors per 1,000 people#2 of 9 in Oceania
- University enrolment#32 of 14577.2% gross enrolment#2 of 8 in Oceania
- Human Development Index#16 of 190an index of 0.938#2 of 13 in Oceania
Economy
- GNI per capita#24 of 185$46,630 a person#2 of 13 in Oceania
- Internet users#36 of 18494% online#2 of 11 in Oceania
- GDP per capita (PPP)#35 of 184$57,350 a person#2 of 13 in Oceania
- GDP growth#168 of 187+0.5% a year#13 of 13 in Oceania
- Inflation#95 of 176+2.8% a year#7 of 11 in Oceania
- Unemployment#88 of 1785.1% of the labour force#2 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in agriculture#128 of 1785.4% of jobs#7 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in industry#79 of 17819.9% of jobs#2 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in services#30 of 17874.6% of jobs#2 of 8 in Oceania
- Foreign investment#117 of 1841.3% of GDP#7 of 12 in Oceania
- Exports#116 of 16824.7% of GDP#8 of 12 in Oceania
- Military spending#106 of 1551.1% of GDP#3 of 4 in Oceania
- Mobile subscriptions#52 of 191130 subscriptions per 100 people#2 of 12 in Oceania
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#39 of 1856.01 tonnes a person#3 of 13 in Oceania
- Forest area#69 of 19239% forest#8 of 13 in Oceania
- Renewable energy#82 of 19028.9% renewable#5 of 13 in Oceania
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#175 of 1916.9 µg/m³#4 of 13 in Oceania
- Protected land#26 of 19133.4% of the land protected#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Arable land#161 of 1902.0% of the land arable#8 of 12 in Oceania
- Water stress#99 of 1768.0% of its available fresh water#1 of 4 in Oceania
- Precipitation#44 of 1801,732 mm a year#6 of 7 in Oceania
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of New Zealand’s area, lit up on the map →
- Gabon1.0×New Zealand and Gabon are almost exactly the same size.
- Western Sahara1.01×New Zealand and Western Sahara are almost exactly the same size.
- Burkina Faso0.98×New Zealand and Burkina Faso are almost exactly the same size.
- Ecuador1.04×New Zealand is 4% larger than Ecuador.
- Guinea1.09×New Zealand is 9% larger than Guinea.
- United Kingdom1.11×New Zealand is 11% larger than United Kingdom.
How many times does New Zealand fit into…
- Russia: about 64 times
- Canada: about 37 times
- United States: about 37 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes New Zealand shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Waikato425 km
- Waitaki110 km
Summits
- Aoraki / Mount Cook3,724 m
- Tapuae-o-Uenuku2,885 m
- Mount Ruapehu2,797 m
- Mount Taranaki2,518 m
- Mount Anglem / Hananui980 m
Lakes
- Lake Taupo616 km²
- Lake Pukaki163 km²
- Lake Tekapo87 km²
- Lake Ohau54 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside New Zealand. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Questions about New Zealand
- How big is New Zealand?
- New Zealand covers 268,021 km², which makes it number 74 of 194 countries by area. About 5,324,700 people live there (2025), 20 per km².
- Is New Zealand bigger than Gabon?
- New Zealand and Gabon are almost exactly the same size. New Zealand: 268,021 km²; Gabon: 267,667 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort New Zealand?
- At about 42° latitude, Mercator stretches New Zealand to roughly 1.79× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Does New Zealand have land borders?
- No. New Zealand has no land neighbours; every border is a coastline.