Australia vs New Zealand: Share of deaths from underlying causes
Australia
28.6%
in 2023
New Zealand
29.7%
in 2018
Australia rank
5th
New Zealand rank
3rd
Share of deaths from underlying causes over time
- Australia
- New Zealand
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 29.7% against 28.6% in Australia, a difference of 1.1%.
The two have swapped places 15 times across 68 shared years of data; in 1950 it was New Zealand ahead.
Australia ranks 5th and New Zealand ranks 3rd of 113 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 3 and New Zealand in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 14.6% | 15.9% | 1.4% | New Zealand |
| 1960s | 15.6% | 16.6% | 1.0% | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 18.4% | 19.8% | 1.4% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 23.5% | 23.0% | 0.5% | Australia |
| 1990s | 27.0% | 26.8% | 0.3% | Australia |
| 2000s | 29.2% | 28.9% | 0.3% | Australia |
| 2010s | 29.6% | 30.0% | 0.4% | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of deaths from underlying causes, Australia or New Zealand?
- New Zealand, at 29.7% against 28.6% in Australia as of 2018.
- What is the difference in share of deaths from underlying causes between Australia and New Zealand?
- 1.1%, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
- 68 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2018.
- How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for share of deaths from underlying causes?
- Australia ranks 5th and New Zealand ranks 3rd of 113 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of deaths from underlying causes. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Based on the underlying cause listed on death certificates.