Australia and New Zealand – country comparison

The following is a comparison between Australia and New Zealand, two developed nations in the Oceania region.

Australia vs New Zealand – country comparison

Which country is larger, Australia or New Zealand?

Australia is one of the largest countries in the world. It is more than 28 times larger than New Zealand.

  • Area of Australia – around 7.7 million sq km
  • Area of New Zealand – around 268,000 sq km

Which country is more populous, Australia or New Zealand?

Both Australia and New Zealand are sparsely populated countries.

  • Population of Australia – 26.7 million (2024 estimate)
  • Population of New Zealand – 5.3 million (2024 estimate)

Economy

2023 (IMF)Australia New Zealand
CurrencyAustralian DollarNew Zealand Dollar
GDP (nominal)$1.74 trillion$249.04 billion
GDP per capita$65.43 thousand$47.54 thousand
GDP (PPP)$1.72 trillion$275.97 billion

Overview

AustraliaNew Zealand
Areaaround 7.7 million sq kmaround 268,000 sq km
Population26.7 million (2024 estimate)5.3 million (2024 estimate)
Capital cityCanberraWellington
Largest citySydneyAuckland
Life expectancy at birth (UN/2023)83.9282.09
Most spoken languageEnglishEnglish
Most popular sportAustralian rules footballRugby

Geography

AustraliaNew Zealand
RegionOceaniaOceania
Highest mountainMount Kosciuszko (2,228 m) (mainland)Mount Cook/Aoraki (3,724 m)
Major riversMurray River, Murrumbidgee River, Darling River, Lachlan River, Warrego River, etc.Waikato River, Clutha River, Whanganui River, Taieri River, Rangitīkei River, etc.
Longest riverMurray RiverWaikato River
Largest islandMainland AustraliaSouth Island
Largest lakeKati Thanda–Lake EyreLake Taupō
National animalKangaroo and EmuKiwi

Women’s suffrage

  • New Zealand was the first self-governing country in the world to give voting rights to women (in 1893).
  • In 1902, Australia became the second country in the world to provide voting rights to females. However, Indigenous Australian women were granted the right to vote in 1962.

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