Comparing life in NZ with the UK

New Zealand is second only to Ireland in 26 OECD countries in internationally comparable data on vehicle, theft and contact crimes

The OECD has released its Society at a Glance report comparing the lives of people living in the 30 OECD countries being tracked.

Here are the highlights for New Zealand and a comparison with the UK.

Teen literacy: New Zealand is the only country in the OECD where reading gaps for 15-year-olds in favour of girls are declining rather than rising between 2000 and 2006.

Life satisfaction: Kiwis are satisfied with their lives but not especially rich. New Zealanders rank sixth out of 30 OECD countries in terms of overall satisfaction with life in 2006 but are in the bottom third in terms of income per capita.

Time use: There is more leisure equality between the sexes in New Zealand. New Zealand, along with Norway and Sweden, is one of the three countries in the OECD where women have modestly more leisure, broadly defined, than do men.

Crime: Crime is high. New Zealand is second only to Ireland in 26 OECD countries in internationally comparable data on vehicle, theft and contact crimes. 22% of New Zealanders experienced such a crime in a 12-month period, compared to an OECD average of 16%.

Suicide rates: New Zealand, along with Norway, is unusual in that suicide rates for young adults are currently greater than for the old. Most OECD countries have higher suicide rates for older people.

In contrast, youths in Britain are more likely to be: in poverty; obese; out of work; and regularly intoxicated with alcohol.