---
title: "New Zealand vs United Kingdom — area, population, currency"
description: "New Zealand is 268,838 km² with 5,324,700 people; United Kingdom is 243,610 km² with 69,487,000. Area, density, currency, languages and time zones side by side."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-united-kingdom/
site: "At One Place"
---

# New Zealand vs United Kingdom

**New Zealand vs United Kingdom: New Zealand is larger; United Kingdom has more people**

268,838 km² vs 243,610 km² · 5,324,700 vs 69,487,000

New Zealand is 1.1 times larger than United Kingdom — 268,838 against 243,610 km². United Kingdom is 13 times more populous than New Zealand — 69,487,000 against 5,324,700 people.

## Side by side

|  | New Zealand | United Kingdom |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital | Wellington | London |
| Area | 268,838 km² | 243,610 km² |
| Population | 5,324,700 (2025) | 69,487,000 (2025) |
| Density | 19.8 /km² | 285.2 /km² |
| Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZD) | British pound (GBP) |
| Official languages | English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language | English |
| Time zones | UTC+12:00, UTC+12:45 | UTC+00:00 |
| Calling code | +64 | +44 |
| Drives on the | left | left |
| Continent | Oceania | Europe |
| ISO codes | NZ / NZL | GB / GBR |

## Population density

United Kingdom is 14 times more densely populated than New Zealand — 285 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 British pound.
- 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.

## United Kingdom

Made up of Great Britain, the north-east of Ireland and around 6,000 smaller islands. No point in the UK is more than about 113 km from the sea. Ben Nevis, the highest point, is 1,345 m, which is modest — but the country has around 31,000 km of coastline once every inlet is counted.

> 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 United Kingdom?

New Zealand is larger — 268,838 km² against 243,610 km².

### Which has more people, New Zealand or United Kingdom?

United Kingdom, with 69,487,000 against 5,324,700.

### What is the time difference between New Zealand and United Kingdom?

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

## Related pages

- [New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country/new-zealand/)
- [United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/country/united-kingdom/)
- [India vs United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/india-vs-united-kingdom/)
- [India vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/india-vs-new-zealand/)
- [China vs United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-united-kingdom/)
- [China vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-new-zealand/)
- [United Kingdom vs United States](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/united-kingdom-vs-united-states/)
- [United Kingdom vs Vietnam](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/united-kingdom-vs-vietnam/)
- [United Kingdom vs Vatican City](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/united-kingdom-vs-vatican-city/)
- [United Kingdom vs Venezuela](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/united-kingdom-vs-venezuela/)
- [Japan vs United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/japan-vs-united-kingdom/)
- [Japan vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/japan-vs-new-zealand/)
- [Canada vs United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-united-kingdom/)
- [Canada vs New Zealand](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-new-zealand/)

## 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]