New Zealand vs Western Sahara
New Zealand and Western Sahara are almost exactly the same size.
New ZealandWestern SaharaNew Zealand moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
1.01×
New Zealand is 1.01× the area of Western Sahara.
 New Zealand |  Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 268,021 km²#74 of 194 | 266,000 km² |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNew Zealand: 8.7× the population | 5,324,700#123 of 194 · 2025 | 612,0002021 |
| DensityNew Zealand: 8.63× the density | 20 / km²#167 of 194 | 2.3 / km² |
| Urban population | 84%#33 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.57 per woman#126 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +0.65%#116 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 11.0 per 1,000#125 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 7.1 per 1,000#97 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 17.9%#129 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 17.6%#43 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | +3.3 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 82.0 years#29 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 4.0 per 1,000 births#155 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 3.61 per 1,000#41 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| University enrolment | 77.2%#32 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $46,630#24 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $264.06B2025 | — |
| Income group | High income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $57,350#35 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +0.5%#168 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +2.8%#95 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 5.4% of jobs#128 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 19.9% of jobs#79 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 74.6% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 24.7% of GDP#116 of 168 · 2024 | — |
| Military spending | 1.1% of GDP#106 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 94%#36 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 130 per 100#52 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 39% of land#69 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 6.01 t a year#39 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 28.9%#82 of 190 · 2021 | — |
| Access to electricity | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 6.9 µg/m³#175 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 33.4% of land#26 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 2.0% of land#161 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 8.0%#99 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 1,732 mm#44 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | +1.18#24 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | +1.89#8 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Homicide rate | 1.5 per 100,000#86 of 146 · 2022 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Status disputed |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm | —legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976 when Spain withdrew, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 75% of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) |
| Member of | OECD | — |
| Capital | Wellington | — |
| Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZD) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
| Official languages | English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+12, summer time UTC+13 · UTC+12 to UTC+12:45, 2 time zones | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +64 | +212 |
| Region | Australia and New Zealand, Oceania | Northern Africa, Africa |
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; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why New Zealand looks so much bigger than it is next to Western Sahara. 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 Western Sahara?
- Yes. New Zealand and Western Sahara are almost exactly the same size. New Zealand covers 268,021 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into New Zealand?
- About 1.0 times: New Zealand has 1.01× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do New Zealand and Western Sahara 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 Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why New Zealand looks so much bigger than it really is next to Western Sahara. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, New Zealand or Western Sahara?
- New Zealand: 5,324,700 people against 612,000. Density: New Zealand 20 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².