New Zealand vs Sweden: Life expectancy

New Zealand
82.74 years
in 2020
Sweden
82.43 years
in 2020
New Zealand rank
9th
Sweden rank
12th

Life expectancy over time

  • New Zealand
  • Sweden
020406080187019452020

How they compare

New Zealand currently reports 82.74 years against 82.43 years in Sweden, a difference of 0.31 years.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1870 it was New Zealand ahead.

New Zealand ranks 9th and Sweden ranks 12th of 162 countries.

Across the 15 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 8 and Sweden in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade New Zealand Sweden Difference Ahead
1870s 51.62 years 45.02 years 6.6 years New Zealand
1880s 53.61 years 47.67 years 5.94 years New Zealand
1890s 55.6 years 50.44 years 5.16 years New Zealand
1900s 58.38 years 52.23 years 6.15 years New Zealand
1910s 61.23 years 58.59 years 2.64 years New Zealand
1920s 64.82 years 62.4 years 2.42 years New Zealand
1930s 65.65 years 65.17 years 0.4768 years New Zealand
1950s 69.87 years 71.87 years 2 years Sweden
1960s 71.22 years 73.46 years 2.24 years Sweden
1970s 71.71 years 74.82 years 3.11 years Sweden
1980s 73.37 years 76.22 years 2.84 years Sweden
1990s 76.11 years 78.2 years 2.1 years Sweden
2000s 79.37 years 80.18 years 0.8119 years Sweden
2010s 81.54 years 81.85 years 0.3119 years Sweden
2020s 82.74 years 82.43 years 0.3145 years New Zealand

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher life expectancy, New Zealand or Sweden?
New Zealand, at 82.74 years against 82.43 years in Sweden as of 2020.
What is the difference in life expectancy between New Zealand and Sweden?
0.31 years, with New Zealand ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and Sweden?
24 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do New Zealand and Sweden rank globally for life expectancy?
New Zealand ranks 9th and Sweden ranks 12th of 162 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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New Zealand vs Sweden: Life expectancy. Statizoid, drawing on Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/life-expectancy-prados-de-la-escosura/new-zealand/sweden/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy
Unit
years
Source
Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
163 places, 3,421 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

Average number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.