---
title: "New Zealand vs Sweden — area, population, currency"
description: "New Zealand is 268,838 km² with 5,324,700 people; Sweden is 450,295 km² with 10,596,620. Area, density, currency, languages and time zones side by side."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-sweden/
site: "At One Place"
---

# New Zealand vs Sweden

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

268,838 km² vs 450,295 km² · 5,324,700 vs 10,596,620

Sweden is 1.7 times larger than New Zealand — 450,295 against 268,838 km². Sweden is 2.0 times more populous than New Zealand — 10,596,620 against 5,324,700 people.

## Side by side

|  | New Zealand | Sweden |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital | Wellington | Stockholm |
| Area | 268,838 km² | 450,295 km² |
| Population | 5,324,700 (2025) | 10,596,620 (2025) |
| Density | 19.8 /km² | 23.5 /km² |
| Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZD) | Swedish krona (SEK) |
| Official languages | English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language | Swedish |
| Time zones | UTC+12:00, UTC+12:45 | UTC+01:00 |
| Calling code | +64 | +46 |
| Drives on the | left | right |
| Continent | Oceania | Europe |
| ISO codes | NZ / NZL | SE / SWE |

## Population density

Sweden is 1.2 times more densely populated than New Zealand — 24 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, Sweden on the right.
- Different currencies: the New Zealand dollar and the Swedish krona.
- New Zealand spans 2 time zones, so "local time" there is not a single answer.
- Different continents — Oceania and Europe.

## 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.

## Sweden

Sweden has roughly 267,000 islands, more than any other country, though only a small fraction are inhabited. Around seventy percent of it is forest, and a seventh lies above the Arctic Circle. Its right of public access lets anyone walk and camp on most uncultivated land.

> 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 Sweden?

Sweden is larger — 450,295 km² against 268,838 km².

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

Sweden, with 10,596,620 against 5,324,700.

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

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

## Related pages

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