---
title: "New Zealand vs Thailand — area, population, currency"
description: "New Zealand is 268,838 km² with 5,324,700 people; Thailand is 513,120 km² with 71,619,863. Area, density, currency, languages and time zones side by side."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-thailand/
site: "At One Place"
---

# New Zealand vs Thailand

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

268,838 km² vs 513,120 km² · 5,324,700 vs 71,619,863

Thailand is 1.9 times larger than New Zealand — 513,120 against 268,838 km². Thailand is 13 times more populous than New Zealand — 71,619,863 against 5,324,700 people.

## Side by side

|  | New Zealand | Thailand |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital | Wellington | Bangkok |
| Area | 268,838 km² | 513,120 km² |
| Population | 5,324,700 (2025) | 71,619,863 (2025) |
| Density | 19.8 /km² | 139.6 /km² |
| Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZD) | Thai baht (THB) |
| Official languages | English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language | Thai |
| Time zones | UTC+12:00, UTC+12:45 | UTC+07:00 |
| Calling code | +64 | +66 |
| Drives on the | left | left |
| Continent | Oceania | Asia |
| ISO codes | NZ / NZL | TH / THA |

## Population density

Thailand is 7.0 times more densely populated than New Zealand — 140 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

- Different currencies: the New Zealand dollar and the Thai baht.
- 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.

## Thailand

Roughly 3,200 km of coastline on two separate seas, the Andaman and the Gulf of Thailand, joined only by the narrow Kra Isthmus. The country's full ceremonial name for Bangkok, Krung Thep Mahanakhon and the rest, is the longest place name in the world at 168 letters in transliteration.

> 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 Thailand?

Thailand is larger — 513,120 km² against 268,838 km².

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

Thailand, with 71,619,863 against 5,324,700.

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

New Zealand is UTC+12:00, UTC+12:45 and Thailand is UTC+07:00. Daylight saving shifts the gap during the year in places that observe it.

## Related pages

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