New Zealand vs United Kingdom
New Zealand is 11% larger than United Kingdom.
New ZealandUnited KingdomNew Zealand moved onto United Kingdom · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
1.11×
New Zealand is 1.11× the area of United Kingdom.
 New Zealand |  United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNew Zealand: 1.11× the area | 268,021 km²#74 of 194 | 242,495 km²#78 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited Kingdom: 13× the population | 5,324,700#123 of 194 · 2025 | 69,487,000#22 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUnited Kingdom: 14.4× the density | 20 / km²#167 of 194 | 287 / km²#31 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 84%#33 of 192 · 2025 | 83%#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 1.57 per woman#126 of 192 · 2024 | 1.55 per woman#130 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNew Zealand: 0.35 points higher | +0.65%#116 of 192 · 2025 | +0.30%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNew Zealand: 1.11× the birth rate | 11.0 per 1,000#125 of 192 · 2024 | 9.9 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited Kingdom: 1.37× the death rate | 7.1 per 1,000#97 of 192 · 2024 | 9.7 per 1,000#41 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15New Zealand: 0.9 points higher | 17.9%#129 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United Kingdom: 2.1 points higher | 17.6%#43 of 192 · 2025 | 19.7%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited Kingdom: 2.3 per 1,000 higher | +3.3 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2025 | +5.6 per 1,000#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNew Zealand: 0.6 years longer | 82.0 years#29 of 192 · 2024 | 81.4 years#34 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 4.0 per 1,000 births#155 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNew Zealand: 1.09× the doctors per person | 3.61 per 1,000#41 of 178 · 2022 | 3.30 per 1,000#53 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentUnited Kingdom: 1.04× the university enrolment | 77.2%#32 of 145 · 2024 | 80.4%#24 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexUnited Kingdom: 0.008 higher | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 | 0.946#12 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited Kingdom: 1.17× the income per person | $46,630#24 of 185 · 2025 | $54,550#19 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited Kingdom: 15.2× the economy | $264.06B2025 | $4T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United Kingdom: 1.13× the output per person | $57,350#35 of 184 · 2025 | $64,606#26 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUnited Kingdom: 0.9 points higher | +0.5%#168 of 187 · 2025 | +1.4%#145 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationUnited Kingdom: 1.1 points higher | +2.8%#95 of 176 · 2025 | +3.9%#60 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNew Zealand: 1.09× the unemployment | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 | 4.7%#101 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 32.4#99 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureNew Zealand: 4.5 points higher | 5.4% of jobs#128 of 178 · 2025 | 0.9% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNew Zealand: 4.0 points higher | 19.9% of jobs#79 of 178 · 2025 | 15.9% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited Kingdom: 8.6 points higher | 74.6% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 | 83.2% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNew Zealand: 0.4 points higher | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#136 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsUnited Kingdom: 5.9 points higher | 24.7% of GDP#116 of 168 · 2024 | 30.6% of GDP#101 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingUnited Kingdom: 2.14× the military spending | 1.1% of GDP#106 of 155 · 2025 | 2.4% of GDP#45 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 94%#36 of 184 · 2024 | 96%#25 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNew Zealand: 1.07× the mobile subscriptions | 130 per 100#52 of 191 · 2024 | 122 per 100#76 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNew Zealand: 2.88× the forest share | 39% of land#69 of 192 · 2024 | 14% of land#137 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNew Zealand: 1.42× the CO₂ per person | 6.01 t a year#39 of 185 · 2024 | 4.22 t a year#57 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNew Zealand: 16.7 points higher | 28.9%#82 of 190 · 2021 | 12.2%#130 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)United Kingdom: 1.38× the air pollution | 6.9 µg/m³#175 of 191 · 2023 | 9.5 µg/m³#157 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNew Zealand: 5.0 points higher | 33.4% of land#26 of 191 · 2025 | 28.4% of land#41 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited Kingdom: 23.3 points higher | 2.0% of land#161 of 190 · 2024 | 25.3% of land#38 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited Kingdom: 1.8× the water stress | 8.0%#99 of 176 · 2022 | 14.4%#75 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNew Zealand: 1.42× the rain and snow | 1,732 mm#44 of 180 · 2022 | 1,220 mm#73 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNew Zealand: 0.89 higher | +1.18#24 of 193 · 2025 | +0.29#80 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNew Zealand: 0.36 higher | +1.89#8 of 193 · 2025 | +1.53#17 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNew Zealand: 1.36× the homicide rate | 1.5 per 100,000#86 of 146 · 2022 | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Member of | OECD | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Wellington | London |
| Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZD) | Pound sterling (GBP) |
| Official languages | English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language | English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Scots, British Sign Language, Ulster Scots |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+12, summer time UTC+13 · UTC+12 to UTC+12:45, 2 time zones | UTC, summer time UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +64 | +44 |
| Region | Australia and New Zealand, Oceania | Northern Europe, Europe |
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. New Zealand sits at about 42° S and is stretched to 1.79× its true area; United Kingdom at 54° N is stretched to 2.9×. That difference is why United Kingdom looks so much bigger than it is next to New Zealand. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is New Zealand bigger than United Kingdom?
- Yes. New Zealand is 11% larger than United Kingdom. New Zealand covers 268,021 km² and United Kingdom covers 242,495 km².
- How many times does United Kingdom fit into New Zealand?
- About 1.1 times: New Zealand has 1.11× the area of United Kingdom.
- Why do New Zealand and United Kingdom look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. New Zealand is drawn about 1.79× its true area there and United Kingdom about 2.9×. That is why United Kingdom looks so much bigger than it really is next to New Zealand. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, New Zealand or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom: 69,487,000 people against 5,324,700. Density: New Zealand 20 per km², United Kingdom 287 per km².
- Which is richer, New Zealand or United Kingdom?
- By gross national income per person, United Kingdom: $54,550 against $46,630 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.17× as much.
- Where do people live longer, New Zealand or United Kingdom?
- In New Zealand: life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years, against 81.4 — 0.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do New Zealand and United Kingdom have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: constitutional monarchy (CIA World Factbook).