Australia vs New Zealand
Side-by-side economic and demographic comparison · 2026 data · Source: IMF & World Bank
Australia and New Zealand are close allies with deeply integrated economies under the Closer Economic Relations agreement. Australia's economy is roughly eight times larger, but both share similar economic structures: commodity-dependent (mining for Australia, dairy and agriculture for NZ), services-heavy, and immigration-driven. New Zealand's GDP per capita is about 70% of Australia's, and many New Zealanders migrate to Australia for higher wages. Both countries have strong institutions, low corruption, and high quality of life, consistently ranking near the top of global livability indices.
Australia has a GDP of $1.95T compared to New Zealand's $280.55B, making it 6.9x larger. Australia's population is 27.2M vs New Zealand's 5.3M. Across 12 key indicators, Australia leads in 7 categories. All data sourced from the IMF World Economic Outlook and World Bank World Development Indicators.
| Indicator |  Australia |  New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $1.95T✓ | $280.55B |
| GDP per Capita | $69,358✓ | $52,181 |
| GDP Growth (%) | 2.1% | 2.2%✓ |
| GDP per Capita (PPP) | $73,361✓ | $57,481 |
| Population | 27.2M✓ | 5.3M |
| Life Expectancy | 83.1 years✓ | 83.0 years |
| Inflation (%) | 3.0% | 2.1%✓ |
| Unemployment (%) | 4.3%✓ | 5.1% |
| Govt Debt (% GDP) | 50.7%✓ | 56.1% |
| Fertility Rate | 1.5 | 1.6✓ |
| Gini Index | 33.8 | N/A |
| CO₂ per Capita (t) | 14.1 | 6✓ |
Summary
Australia has a GDP of $1.95T compared to New Zealand's $280.55B, making the former economy 6.9x larger. In terms of population, Australia has 27.2M people while New Zealand has 5.3M. Across the 12 indicators compared, Australia leads in 7 and New Zealand leads in 4.
AustraliaNew Zealand