New Zealand

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, New Zealand spends US$2.9 billion, or 1.5 percent of its GDP on its military. This represents 0.15 percent of total global military expenditure and makes New Zealand the 54th highest military spender in the world.

The military of New Zealand, the New Zealand defence force has an army and navy and an air force. Because New Zealand is an island state, the majority of its military is focused on its naval capacity. Its main activity in recent decades have been peacekeeping missions.

Military membership

New Zealand is a member of 11 international military organizations which makes it the 25th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

ANZUS
Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Wassenaar Arrangement
Nuclear Suppliers Group
Australia Group

Missile Technology Control Regime
International Atomic Energy Agency
Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization
New Agenda Coalition

Military membership

International wars

Since its foundation, Afghanistan has fought ten wars with other states. The most recent international wars were with the Soviet Union (1979-1989) and with the United States (2001-present). Other notable wars were the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842), Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880), Afghanistan–Pakistan border clash 1949-present and the Civil war in Afghanistan 1996-2001.

Below, the amount of international wars of each state is displayed.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

New Zealand is a member of 13 international political organizations which makes it the 72nd most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Colombo Plan
Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Pacific Community
Commonwealth of Nations
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
International Criminal Court
Interpol

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

New Zealand is the fifth most democratic state in the world. It has been the first state to invoke universal suffrage which has been in place for more than 130 years. Its elections are also considered to be free and fair and are being held every three years.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of New Zealand are in form of a parliamentary representative democracy with the British Crown as head of state.

Named after the Dutch province of Zeeland, New Zealand is known for its stunning nature, being the first state to have universal suffrage as well as its abundance of sheep. From the 12th century, the island was inhabited by the Māori people. The Māori people came into contact with the Europeans in 1642 by Dutch explorers and later on by the British explorers. New Zealand became fully colonized by the British by 1840 when it was incorporated in the British Empire. After becoming a British Dominion, New Zealand gained full independence in 1947. Since then, New Zealand has become one of the most developed states in the world.

Located in the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is an island state which consists of two large islands. Its southern island consists of high mountains that run along its northwestern coastline and has a low plane to the south and the southeast. Its northern island consists of a central mountain range which is surrounded by low lying plains. Its mountain ranges are densely forested while the remainder mainly consists of grasslands.

New Zealand is the 75th largest state in the world with a total surface area of 271,819 square kilometers or 104,950 square miles. This makes New Zealand and slightly larger than Gabon and slightly smaller than Burkina Faso.

It is the 72nd state with the highest amount of surface water with 4417 square kilometers or 1705 square miles.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

The majority of its water consists of surface water which consists of rivers that are created by melting snow from its mountain ranges. Most of its drinking water is considered to be safe due to its high standards of water treatment.

Its climate is considered to be an oceanic climate which is heavily influenced by its latitude as well as its altitude. Its northern part is considered to be subtropical with moderate winters and warm summers while its southern part has a cold winters and moderate summers. The average temperature is 11.4 degrees Celsius or 52.5 degrees Fahrenheit which is the 148th highest in the world.

During its summer period, between January and March, the average temperature is 16.8 degrees Celsius or 62.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

During its winter period from June to September, the average temperature is 7.5 degrees Celsius or 45.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rainfall is fairly evenly spread out throughout New Zealand with its northern part receiving 1.2 times the amount of rainfall compared to its southern part. It is the 69th state with the highest amount of rainfall which is 126.6 centimetres or 49.8 inches per year.

The capital of New Zealand, Wellington, is home to approximately 250,000 people. The capital that is closest located to New Zealand is Canberra of Australia with a distance of 2321 kilometers or 1443 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Wellington is Madrid Spain with a distance of 19,863 kilometers or 12,342 miles.

The economy of New Zealand is a free market economy with a large focus on technology as well as agriculture. This has led to a steady growth between its independence and the financial crisis of 2008. However, after the financial crisis its economic growth declined and has been slowly recovering ever since. Its main export products are petroleum and sheep related products which are mainly exported to China and Australia which combined represent more than 40 percent of all exports. Its largest import partners are also China and Australia which represent more than 30 percent of all imports.

New Zealand is a member of 13 international economic organizations which makes it the 81st most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
Financial Action Task Force
International Energy Agency
International Monetary Fund
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

International Energy Agency
International Renewable Energy Agency

Its GDP of US$203 billion is the 53rd highest in the world and represents 0.24 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per service area is the 78th highest in the world with US$746,405 per square kilometer or US$1.9 million per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 22nd highest in the world with US$41,544.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power per capita is the 32nd highest in the world with US$41,308.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total population of just under 4.9 million people, New Zealand is the 122nd most populous state in the world. The majority of its population is made up of European descendants which mainly speak English. The second largest population in New Zealand are the Māori people which represent approximately five percent of the population. The Māori language, alongside with English are the official languages of New Zealand.

New Zealand is the 168th most populous state in the world with 18 people per square kilometer or 46 people per square mile.

Emigration from New Zealand is represented by just over 750,000 people, or 14.9 percent of the population. This makes New Zealand the 89th states with the highest number of emigrants and represents 0.3 percent total global emigration. The largest recipient of migrants from New Zealand has been Australia which has received more than 80 percent of all migrants from New Zealand.

Immigration to New Zealand is represented by just under 1 million people, or 19.5 percent of the population. This makes New Zealand the 40th state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 0.4 percent of total global immigration. The largest supplier of immigrants that have been China and India in recent decades. The main reason for migration is economic.

The educational system of New Zealand is free and compulsory between the ages of six and 16 and follows a system with primary, secondary and tertiary education. It also provides online education to children that lives in rural areas. With an average literacy rate of 98.6 percent, New Zealand is the 42nd most literate state in the world.

Healthcare in New Zealand is universal and publicly funded. It has the 29th highest life expectancy in the world with 82.8 years. Women reach 84.4 years while men reach 81.2 years. The largest health risks in New Zealand are mainly connected to noncommunicable diseases in relation to lifestyle choices. This mainly leads to obesity and cardiovascular diseases as well as cancer.

The state of New Zealand does not have an official state religion. However, the ceremonial head of state, the British monarch, also fulfils the role of Governor of the Church of England.

Christianity is the largest religion in New Zealand and is followed by 47.6 percent of the population. This makes New Zealand to 121st most Christian state in the world. Christianity arrived in New Zealand during the second half of the 18th century when Christian explorers set foot in New Zealand. At the start of the 19th century, British missionaries expanded their work.

Islam arrived in New Zealand at the end of the 19th century when several labour migrants arrived there in small numbers. It was only during the second half of the 20th century when large amounts of the Muslims migrated to New Zealand as a result of open migration policies. Currently, Islam is represented by 1.1 percent of the population which makes New Zealand the 124th most Islamic state in the world.

Buddhism is represented by 1.6 percent of the population. The first Buddhist arrived at the start of the 20th century. Many Buddhists were Asian workers which arrived in larger numbers throughout the 20th century.

Hinduism is represented by 2.1 percent of the population and is the second largest religious group in New Zealand. The majority of Hindus originated from India and arrived in New Zealand as a result of open migration policies during the 20th century.

Judaism is represented by 0.19 percent of the population.

Other religions are represented by 0.8 percent of the population and are mainly traditional Maori religions. These religions are mainly focused on the interconnectedness through genealogy.

Irreligion is represented by 24.5 percent of the population.