Country profile
Flag of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand · Australia and New Zealand

👥 Population
5,324,700
World Bank · 2025
🏛 Capital
Wellington
🗺 Area
270,467 km²
💹 GDP (nominal)
$264.06B
World Bank · 2025
📈 HDI
0.938
UNDP · 2023
📍 Pop. density
20 /km²
💱 Currency
NZD
New Zealand dollar
🗣 Languages
English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language

About New Zealand

New Zealand is a country in Australia and New Zealand, with Wellington as its capital. It is home to roughly 5.32 million people, giving a population density of about 20 people per square kilometre. The country covers 270,467 km² of land and has no shared land borders. Its economy is valued at approximately $264.06B in nominal GDP (2025), and it records a Human Development Index of 0.938. The official currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD), and the main languages are English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language.

How New Zealand is governed

🏛 Constitutional monarchy (parliamentary)
Head of State
Monarch (represented by the Governor-General)

Ceremonial head of state.

Head of Government
Prime Minister

Holds executive power; leads the government.

Legislature
Parliament (House of Representatives)

Unicameral — House of Representatives — ~120 seats, elected by MMP

Who holds the power?

New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with an uncodified constitution, similar to the UK. The monarch is head of state, represented by the Governor-General, but power rests with the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Its single-chamber Parliament is elected by mixed-member proportional representation (MMP), which usually produces coalition or minority governments.

Development profile (each axis 0–100%, higher is stronger)
WealthHealthHuman dev.InternetUrbanSurvival

Key indicators

Latest available data · World Bank & UNDP.

💹 Economy

GDP (PPP)
$293.73B
GDP/capita (PPP)
$55,551
GDP growth
0.5%
Inflation
2.8%
Unemployment
5.1%

👥 People

Life expectancy
82.0 yrs
Fertility rate
1.57
Pop. growth
0.7%
Urban population
84.0%
Infant mortality /1k
4

🌍 Quality of Life

Internet users
93.5%
Physicians /1k
3.61
Renewable energy
28.9%
New Zealand's GDP over time (nominal, US$)
$0$69.32B$138.63B$207.95B$277.26B197019982025 New Zealand

Travel & practical

Capital
Wellington
Currency
NZD
Dialing code
+64
Internet TLD
.nz

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Fun facts about New Zealand

Compare New Zealand

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