Gabon vs New Zealand
New Zealand and Gabon are almost exactly the same size.
GabonNew ZealandGabon moved onto New Zealand · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
1.0×
Gabon is 1.0× the area of New Zealand. Put the other way, New Zealand is 1.0× the size of Gabon.
 Gabon |  New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 267,667 km²#75 of 194 | 268,021 km²#74 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNew Zealand: 2.05× the population | 2,593,130#140 of 194 · 2025 | 5,324,700#123 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNew Zealand: 2.05× the density | 9.7 / km²#181 of 194 | 20 / km²#167 of 194 |
| Urban populationGabon: 1.1× the urban share | 92%#16 of 192 · 2025 | 84%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGabon: 2.29× the births per woman | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 | 1.57 per woman#126 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGabon: 1.46 points higher | +2.11%#41 of 192 · 2025 | +0.65%#116 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGabon: 2.46× the birth rate | 27.1 per 1,000#42 of 192 · 2024 | 11.0 per 1,000#125 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNew Zealand: 1.15× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 7.1 per 1,000#97 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Gabon: 18.3 points higher | 36.2%#46 of 192 · 2025 | 17.9%#129 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65New Zealand: 13.5 points higher | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 17.6%#43 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNew Zealand: 2.9 per 1,000 higher | +0.4 per 1,000#60 of 192 · 2025 | +3.3 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadGabon: 38× the refugees for its size | 0.38 per 1,000#82 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNew Zealand: 13.5 years longer | 68.5 years#141 of 192 · 2024 | 82.0 years#29 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGabon: 6.47× the infant mortality | 25.9 per 1,000 births#55 of 191 · 2024 | 4.0 per 1,000 births#155 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNew Zealand: 6.94× the doctors per person | 0.52 per 1,000#127 of 178 · 2022 | 3.61 per 1,000#41 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 77.2%#32 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexNew Zealand: 0.205 higher | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNew Zealand: 5.76× the income per person | $8,090#87 of 185 · 2025 | $46,630#24 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNew Zealand: 12.3× the economy | $21.43B2025 | $264.06B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)New Zealand: 2.58× the output per person | $22,218#88 of 184 · 2025 | $57,350#35 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGabon: 2.0 points higher | +2.5%#118 of 187 · 2025 | +0.5%#168 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNew Zealand: 1.0 points higher | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 | +2.8%#95 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGabon: 3.96× the unemployment | 20.2%#5 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 3.8%#60 of 149 · 2017 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 38.0#52 of 149 · 2017 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureGabon: 23.5 points higher | 28.9% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 | 5.4% of jobs#128 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNew Zealand: 1.0 points higher | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 19.9% of jobs#79 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNew Zealand: 22.3 points higher | 52.3% of jobs#108 of 178 · 2025 | 74.6% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGabon: 0.5 points higher | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGabon: 30.8 points higher | 55.5% of GDP#36 of 168 · 2025 | 24.7% of GDP#116 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingGabon: 1.51× the military spending | 1.7% of GDP#79 of 155 · 2025 | 1.1% of GDP#106 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNew Zealand: 1.36× the share online | 69%#121 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#36 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNew Zealand: 1.04× the mobile subscriptions | 125 per 100#69 of 191 · 2024 | 130 per 100#52 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGabon: 2.35× the forest share | 91% of land#3 of 192 · 2024 | 39% of land#69 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNew Zealand: 2.93× the CO₂ per person | 2.05 t a year#101 of 185 · 2024 | 6.01 t a year#39 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGabon: 62.4 points higher | 91.3%#4 of 190 · 2021 | 28.9%#82 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNew Zealand: 4.9 points higher | 95.1%#131 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Gabon: 4.54× the air pollution | 31.3 µg/m³#44 of 191 · 2023 | 6.9 µg/m³#175 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNew Zealand: 10.8 points higher | 22.6% of land#64 of 191 · 2025 | 33.4% of land#26 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNew Zealand: 0.7 points higher | 1.3% of land#169 of 190 · 2024 | 2.0% of land#161 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNew Zealand: 16× the water stress | 0.5%#165 of 176 · 2022 | 8.0%#99 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGabon: 1.06× the rain and snow | 1,831 mm#39 of 180 · 2022 | 1,732 mm#44 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNew Zealand: 1.06 higher | +0.12#93 of 193 · 2025 | +1.18#24 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNew Zealand: 2.67 higher | −0.78#140 of 193 · 2025 | +1.89#8 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 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 | OPEC | OECD |
| Capital | Libreville | Wellington |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
| Official languages | French | English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+12, summer time UTC+13 · UTC+12 to UTC+12:45, 2 time zones |
| Calling code | +241 | +64 |
| Region | Middle 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. Gabon sits at about 1° S and is stretched to 1.0× 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 Gabon. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Gabon bigger than New Zealand?
- No. Gabon and New Zealand are almost exactly the same size. Gabon covers 267,667 km² and New Zealand covers 268,021 km².
- How many times does Gabon fit into New Zealand?
- About 1.0 times: New Zealand has 1.0× the area of Gabon.
- Why do Gabon and New Zealand look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Gabon is drawn about 1.0× 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 Gabon. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Gabon or New Zealand?
- New Zealand: 5,324,700 people against 2,593,130. Density: Gabon 9.7 per km², New Zealand 20 per km².
- Which is richer, Gabon or New Zealand?
- By gross national income per person, New Zealand: $46,630 against $8,090 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 5.76× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Gabon or New Zealand?
- In New Zealand: life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years, against 68.5 — 13.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Gabon and New Zealand have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Gabon: presidential republic; New Zealand: constitutional monarchy.