Kuwait vs New Caledonia
New Caledonia is 4% larger than Kuwait.
KuwaitNew CaledoniaKuwait moved onto New Caledonia · Equal-area projection
0.96×
Kuwait is 0.96× the area of New Caledonia. Put the other way, New Caledonia is 1.04× the size of Kuwait.
 Kuwait |  New Caledonia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNew Caledonia: 1.04× the area | 17,818 km²#153 of 194 | 18,576 km² |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationKuwait: 16.5× the population | 4,865,298#126 of 194 · 2025 | 295,3332025 |
| DensityKuwait: 17.2× the density | 273 / km²#32 of 194 | 16 / km² |
| Urban populationKuwait: 1.47× the urban share | 100%#1 of 192 · 2025 | 68%2025 |
| Fertility rateNew Caledonia: 1.26× the births per woman | 1.56 per woman#127 of 192 · 2024 | 1.96 per woman2024 |
| Population growthNew Caledonia: 1.57 points higher | −0.65%#184 of 192 · 2025 | +0.92%2025 |
| Birth rateNew Caledonia: 1.4× the birth rate | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 | 14.0 per 1,0002024 |
| Death rateNew Caledonia: 4.2× the death rate | 1.5 per 1,000#190 of 192 · 2024 | 6.3 per 1,0002024 |
| Children under 15New Caledonia: 3.1 points higher | 18.0%#128 of 192 · 2025 | 21.1%2025 |
| People over 65New Caledonia: 8.6 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 11.8%2025 |
| Net migrationKuwait: 7.3 per 1,000 higher | +8.8 per 1,000#10 of 192 · 2025 | +1.5 per 1,0002025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyKuwait: 5.7 years longer | 84.6 years#3 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years2024 |
| Infant mortality | 7.0 per 1,000 births#132 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 2.27 per 1,000#79 of 178 · 2020 | — |
| University enrolment | 51.9%#74 of 145 · 2021 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.852#51 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaKuwait: 1.37× the income per person | $41,110#27 of 185 · 2024 | $30,0702024 |
| GDPKuwait: 18.4× the economy | $157.21B2025 | $8.55B2024 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $56,468#37 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growthKuwait: 16.2 points higher | +2.7%#111 of 187 · 2025 | −13.5%2024 |
| Inflation | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentNew Caledonia: 5.09× the unemployment | 2.2%#158 of 178 · 2025 | 11.2%2025 |
| Jobs in agricultureKuwait: 0.1 points higher | 1.9% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 | 1.8% of jobs2025 |
| Jobs in industryKuwait: 4.0 points higher | 24.6% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 | 20.6% of jobs2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNew Caledonia: 4.1 points higher | 73.5% of jobs#36 of 178 · 2025 | 77.6% of jobs2025 |
| Foreign investmentNew Caledonia: 5.6 points higher | 0.3% of GDP#154 of 184 · 2025 | 5.9% of GDP2024 |
| ExportsKuwait: 44.1 points higher | 55.8% of GDP#35 of 168 · 2024 | 11.7% of GDP2024 |
| Military spending | 4.7% of GDP#11 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 100%#1 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsKuwait: 1.83× the mobile subscriptions | 168 per 100#16 of 191 · 2023 | 92 per 1002022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNew Caledonia: 120× the forest share | 0% of land#185 of 192 · 2024 | 48% of land2024 |
| CO₂ per personKuwait: 1.39× the CO₂ per person | 23.7 t a year#4 of 185 · 2024 | 17.1 t a year2024 |
| Renewable energyNew Caledonia: 9.5 points higher | 0.1%#183 of 190 · 2021 | 9.6%2022 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 62.3 µg/m³#6 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected landNew Caledonia: 42.5 points higher | 17.1% of land#98 of 191 · 2025 | 59.6% of land2025 |
| Arable landKuwait: 0.1 points higher | 0.4% of land#183 of 190 · 2024 | 0.3% of land2024 |
| Water stress | 3,850.5%#1 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 121 mm#171 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityKuwait: 0.13 higher | +0.42#75 of 193 · 2025 | +0.292025 |
| Control of corruptionKuwait: 0.14 higher | +0.28#69 of 193 · 2025 | +0.142025 |
| Homicide rate | 0.2 per 100,000#141 of 146 · 2020 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Territory of France |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyconstitutional monarchy (emirate) | Dependent territoryparliamentary democracy (Territorial Congress); an overseas collectivity of France |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Kuwait City | Noum'ea |
| Currency | Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) | CFP Franc (XPF) |
| Official languages | Arabic | French |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+11 |
| Calling code | +965 | +687 |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia | Melanesia, 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. Kuwait sits at about 29° N and is stretched to 1.32× its true area; New Caledonia at 21° S is stretched to 1.15×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Kuwait bigger than New Caledonia?
- No. Kuwait is 4% smaller than New Caledonia. Kuwait covers 17,818 km² and New Caledonia covers 18,576 km².
- How many times does Kuwait fit into New Caledonia?
- About 1.0 times: New Caledonia has 1.04× the area of Kuwait.
- Why do Kuwait and New Caledonia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Kuwait is drawn about 1.32× its true area there and New Caledonia about 1.15×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Kuwait or New Caledonia?
- Kuwait: 4,865,298 people against 295,333. Density: Kuwait 273 per km², New Caledonia 16 per km².
- Which is richer, Kuwait or New Caledonia?
- By gross national income per person, Kuwait: $41,110 against $30,070 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 1.37× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Kuwait or New Caledonia?
- In Kuwait: life expectancy at birth is 84.6 years, against 78.9 — 5.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Kuwait and New Caledonia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Kuwait: constitutional monarchy; New Caledonia: dependent territory.