---
title: "New Zealand vs South Korea — area, population, currency"
description: "New Zealand is 268,838 km² with 5,324,700 people; South Korea is 99,720 km² with 51,684,564. Area, density, currency, languages and time zones side by side."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-south-korea/
site: "At One Place"
---

# New Zealand vs South Korea

**New Zealand vs South Korea: New Zealand is larger; South Korea has more people**

268,838 km² vs 99,720 km² · 5,324,700 vs 51,684,564

New Zealand is 2.7 times larger than South Korea — 268,838 against 99,720 km². South Korea is 9.7 times more populous than New Zealand — 51,684,564 against 5,324,700 people.

## Side by side

|  | New Zealand | South Korea |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital | Wellington | Seoul |
| Area | 268,838 km² | 99,720 km² |
| Population | 5,324,700 (2025) | 51,684,564 (2025) |
| Density | 19.8 /km² | 518.3 /km² |
| Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZD) | South Korean won (KRW) |
| Official languages | English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language | Korean |
| Time zones | UTC+12:00, UTC+12:45 | UTC+09:00 |
| Calling code | +64 | +82 |
| Drives on the | left | right |
| Continent | Oceania | Asia |
| ISO codes | NZ / NZL | KR / KOR |

## Population density

South Korea is 26 times more densely populated than New Zealand — 518 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 — New Zealand on the left, South Korea on the right.
- Different currencies: the New Zealand dollar and the South Korean won.
- New Zealand spans 2 time zones, so "local time" there is not a single answer.
- Different continents — Oceania and Asia.

## 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.

## South Korea

About seventy percent mountain, so the population is packed into the valleys and coastal plains; the Seoul metropolitan area holds roughly half the country. Jeju Island is a shield volcano whose lava tube system is among the finest in the world. South Korea has the fastest average internet connections of any large country.

> 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 New Zealand bigger than South Korea?

New Zealand is larger — 268,838 km² against 99,720 km².

### Which has more people, New Zealand or South Korea?

South Korea, with 51,684,564 against 5,324,700.

### What is the time difference between New Zealand and South Korea?

New Zealand is UTC+12:00, UTC+12:45 and South Korea is UTC+09:00. Daylight saving shifts the gap during the year in places that observe it.

## Related pages

- [New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country/new-zealand/)
- [South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country/south-korea/)
- [India vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/india-vs-new-zealand/)
- [India vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/india-vs-south-korea/)
- [China vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-new-zealand/)
- [China vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-south-korea/)
- [Japan vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/japan-vs-new-zealand/)
- [Japan vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/japan-vs-south-korea/)
- [Canada vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-new-zealand/)
- [Canada vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-south-korea/)
- [Australia vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-new-zealand/)
- [Australia vs South Korea](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-south-korea/)
- [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/)

## 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]