---
title: "France vs New Zealand — area, population, currency"
description: "France is 643,801 km² with 68,720,337 people; New Zealand is 268,838 km² with 5,324,700. Area, density, currency, languages and time zones side by side."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-new-zealand/
site: "At One Place"
---

# France vs New Zealand

**France vs New Zealand: France is larger; France has more people**

643,801 km² vs 268,838 km² · 68,720,337 vs 5,324,700

France is 2.4 times larger than New Zealand — 643,801 against 268,838 km². France is 13 times more populous than New Zealand — 68,720,337 against 5,324,700 people.

## Side by side

|  | France | New Zealand |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital | Paris | Wellington |
| Area | 643,801 km² | 268,838 km² |
| Population | 68,720,337 (2025) | 5,324,700 (2025) |
| Density | 106.7 /km² | 19.8 /km² |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
| Official languages | French | English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language |
| Time zones | UTC+01:00 | UTC+12:00, UTC+12:45 |
| Calling code | +33 | +64 |
| Drives on the | right | left |
| Continent | Europe | Oceania |
| ISO codes | FR / FRA | NZ / NZL |

## Population density

France is 5.4 times more densely populated than New Zealand — 107 against 20 people per km². Density is where area and population interact, and it often reverses the impression the headline figures give — a large country with a small population can feel emptier than a small crowded one by an enormous margin.

## Practical differences

- They drive on opposite sides — France on the right, New Zealand on the left.
- Different currencies: the Euro and the New Zealand dollar.
- New Zealand spans 2 time zones, so "local time" there is not a single answer.
- Different continents — Europe and Oceania.

## France

Mont Blanc on the Italian border is 4,806 m, the highest point in western Europe. Counting its overseas departments, France spans twelve time zones — more than any other country — and its exclusive economic zone is the second largest in the world. The Gouffre Mirolda and other Alpine systems make it one of the great caving countries.

## New Zealand

Two main islands and around 600 smaller ones, roughly 1,600 km long. New Zealand broke away from Gondwana about 80 million years ago and had no land mammals except bats until people arrived, which is why so many of its birds are flightless. The Southern Alps run most of the South Island and reach 3,724 m at Aoraki / Mount Cook.

> Neutral facts only. Nothing here addresses politics, government, economics or which country is preferable in any respect — population is the one figure that dates, and it carries its year.

## Common questions

### Is France bigger than New Zealand?

France is larger — 643,801 km² against 268,838 km².

### Which has more people, France or New Zealand?

France, with 68,720,337 against 5,324,700.

### What is the time difference between France and New Zealand?

France is UTC+01:00 and New Zealand is UTC+12:00, UTC+12:45. Daylight saving shifts the gap during the year in places that observe it.

## Related pages

- [France](https://atoneplace.net/country/france/)
- [New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country/new-zealand/)
- [India vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/india-vs-new-zealand/)
- [China vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-new-zealand/)
- [China vs France](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-france/)
- [Japan vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/japan-vs-new-zealand/)
- [Canada vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-new-zealand/)
- [Canada vs France](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-france/)
- [Australia vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-new-zealand/)
- [Australia vs France](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-france/)
- [New Zealand vs United States](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-united-states/)
- [New Zealand vs United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-united-kingdom/)
- [New Zealand vs Russia](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-russia/)
- [New Zealand vs Spain](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-spain/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]
- World Bank Open Data — The World Bank (https://data.worldbank.org/) [CC BY 4.0]