Burkina Faso vs New Zealand
Burkina Faso and New Zealand are almost exactly the same size.
Burkina FasoNew ZealandBurkina Faso moved onto New Zealand · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
1.02×
Burkina Faso is 1.02× the area of New Zealand.
 Burkina Faso |  New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 274,200 km²#73 of 194 | 268,021 km²#74 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBurkina Faso: 4.52× the population | 24,074,580#59 of 194 · 2025 | 5,324,700#123 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBurkina Faso: 4.42× the density | 88 / km²#97 of 194 | 20 / km²#167 of 194 |
| Urban populationNew Zealand: 2.91× the urban share | 29%#173 of 192 · 2025 | 84%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBurkina Faso: 2.62× the births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 1.57 per woman#126 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBurkina Faso: 1.56 points higher | +2.21%#37 of 192 · 2025 | +0.65%#116 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBurkina Faso: 2.85× the birth rate | 31.3 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2024 | 11.0 per 1,000#125 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBurkina Faso: 1.11× the death rate | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 7.1 per 1,000#97 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Burkina Faso: 23.3 points higher | 41.2%#15 of 192 · 2025 | 17.9%#129 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65New Zealand: 14.9 points higher | 2.7%#176 of 192 · 2025 | 17.6%#43 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNew Zealand: 4.4 per 1,000 higher | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | +3.3 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBurkina Faso: 1,459× the refugees for its size | 14.59 per 1,000#15 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNew Zealand: 20.7 years longer | 61.3 years#183 of 192 · 2024 | 82.0 years#29 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBurkina Faso: 10.9× the infant mortality | 43.6 per 1,000 births#20 of 191 · 2024 | 4.0 per 1,000 births#155 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNew Zealand: 24.1× the doctors per person | 0.15 per 1,000#159 of 178 · 2022 | 3.61 per 1,000#41 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentNew Zealand: 7.72× the university enrolment | 10.0%#133 of 145 · 2024 | 77.2%#32 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexNew Zealand: 0.479 higher | 0.459#183 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNew Zealand: 47.6× the income per person | $980#170 of 185 · 2025 | $46,630#24 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNew Zealand: 9.56× the economy | $27.63B2025 | $264.06B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)New Zealand: 18.7× the output per person | $3,072#171 of 184 · 2025 | $57,350#35 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBurkina Faso: 4.8 points higher | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 | +0.5%#168 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNew Zealand: 3.4 points higher | −0.6%#171 of 176 · 2025 | +2.8%#95 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNew Zealand: 1.46× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 42.1%#15 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureBurkina Faso: 46.4 points higher | 51.8% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 | 5.4% of jobs#128 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNew Zealand: 3.2 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 | 19.9% of jobs#79 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNew Zealand: 43.0 points higher | 31.6% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 | 74.6% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNew Zealand: 0.2 points higher | 1.1% of GDP#125 of 184 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBurkina Faso: 10.3 points higher | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2025 | 24.7% of GDP#116 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingBurkina Faso: 3.0× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#21 of 155 · 2025 | 1.1% of GDP#106 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNew Zealand: 3.3× the share online | 28%#168 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#36 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNew Zealand: 1.11× the mobile subscriptions | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2024 | 130 per 100#52 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNew Zealand: 3.16× the forest share | 12% of land#142 of 192 · 2024 | 39% of land#69 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNew Zealand: 22.3× the CO₂ per person | 0.27 t a year#165 of 185 · 2024 | 6.01 t a year#39 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBurkina Faso: 42.5 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2022 | 28.9%#82 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNew Zealand: 66.0 points higher | 34.0%#185 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Burkina Faso: 5.41× the air pollution | 37.3 µg/m³#28 of 191 · 2023 | 6.9 µg/m³#175 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNew Zealand: 16.6 points higher | 16.8% of land#102 of 191 · 2025 | 33.4% of land#26 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBurkina Faso: 26.9 points higher | 28.9% of land#32 of 190 · 2024 | 2.0% of land#161 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressAbout the same water stress | 7.8%#102 of 176 · 2022 | 8.0%#99 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNew Zealand: 2.32× the rain and snow | 748 mm#110 of 180 · 2022 | 1,732 mm#44 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNew Zealand: 2.98 higher | −1.80#181 of 193 · 2025 | +1.18#24 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNew Zealand: 2.11 higher | −0.22#94 of 193 · 2025 | +1.89#8 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNew Zealand: 1.15× the homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2017 | 1.5 per 100,000#86 of 146 · 2022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Member of | — | OECD |
| Capital | Ouagadougou | Wellington |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
| Official languages | French, Mooré, Dioula, Bissa | English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+12, summer time UTC+13 · UTC+12 to UTC+12:45, 2 time zones |
| Calling code | +226 | +64 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Australia and New Zealand, Oceania |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso sits at about 12° N and is stretched to 1.05× its true area; New Zealand at 42° S is stretched to 1.79×. That difference is why New Zealand looks so much bigger than it is next to Burkina Faso. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Burkina Faso bigger than New Zealand?
- Yes. Burkina Faso and New Zealand are almost exactly the same size. Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km² and New Zealand covers 268,021 km².
- How many times does New Zealand fit into Burkina Faso?
- About 1.0 times: Burkina Faso has 1.02× the area of New Zealand.
- Why do Burkina Faso and New Zealand look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso is drawn about 1.05× its true area there and New Zealand about 1.79×. That is why New Zealand looks so much bigger than it really is next to Burkina Faso. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Burkina Faso or New Zealand?
- Burkina Faso: 24,074,580 people against 5,324,700. Density: Burkina Faso 88 per km², New Zealand 20 per km².
- Which is richer, Burkina Faso or New Zealand?
- By gross national income per person, New Zealand: $46,630 against $980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 47.6× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Burkina Faso or New Zealand?
- In New Zealand: life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years, against 61.3 — 20.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Burkina Faso and New Zealand have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Burkina Faso: presidential republic; New Zealand: constitutional monarchy.