Births and deaths in New Zealand
New Zealand: Births and deaths was 6.79 in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
6.79
Change on year
up 5.5%
World rank
38th
of 41 countries
All-time high
9.04
in 1951
All-time low
6.43
in 2020
Years of data
74
1948–2021
Births and deaths in New Zealand, 1948–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 6.79 for births and deaths in 2021.
The figure is up 5.5% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, births and deaths in New Zealand peaked at 9.04 in 1951 and was at its lowest, 6.43, in 2020.
New Zealand ranks 38th of 41 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Births and deaths in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 8.76 | — |
| 1949 | 8.68 | -0.9% |
| 1950 | 8.83 | +1.7% |
| 1951 | 9.04 | +2.4% |
| 1952 | 8.82 | -2.4% |
| 1953 | 8.41 | -4.7% |
| 1954 | 8.47 | +0.8% |
| 1955 | 8.43 | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 8.5 | +0.8% |
| 1957 | 8.8 | +3.5% |
| 1958 | 8.35 | -5.1% |
| 1959 | 8.5 | +1.7% |
| 1960 | 8.26 | -2.8% |
| 1961 | 8.44 | +2.2% |
| 1962 | 8.44 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 8.41 | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 8.44 | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 8.34 | -1.3% |
| 1966 | 8.53 | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 8.09 | -5.2% |
| 1968 | 8.49 | +5.0% |
| 1969 | 8.34 | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 8.49 | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 8.17 | -3.8% |
| 1972 | 8.23 | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 8.25 | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 8.08 | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 7.88 | -2.5% |
| 1976 | 7.92 | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 8.03 | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 7.63 | -5.0% |
| 1979 | 7.87 | +3.1% |
| 1980 | 8.27 | +5.2% |
| 1981 | 7.79 | -5.8% |
| 1982 | 7.87 | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 7.92 | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 7.66 | -3.3% |
| 1985 | 8.25 | +7.8% |
| 1986 | 8.08 | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 8.17 | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 8.1 | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 7.96 | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 7.78 | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 7.51 | -3.5% |
| 1992 | 7.6 | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 7.51 | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 7.39 | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 7.52 | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 7.55 | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 7.25 | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 6.87 | -5.3% |
| 1999 | 7.27 | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 6.85 | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 7.12 | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 7.1 | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 6.96 | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 6.93 | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 6.51 | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 6.72 | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 6.71 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 6.81 | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 6.7 | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 6.5 | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 6.82 | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 6.79 | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 6.62 | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 6.86 | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 6.87 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 6.65 | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 6.96 | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 6.79 | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 6.88 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 6.43 | -6.4% |
| 2021 | 6.79 | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 8.72 | 8.68 | 8.76 | 2 |
| 1950s | 8.62 | 8.35 | 9.04 | 10 |
| 1960s | 8.38 | 8.09 | 8.53 | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.05 | 7.63 | 8.49 | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.01 | 7.66 | 8.27 | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.42 | 6.87 | 7.78 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.84 | 6.51 | 7.12 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.77 | 6.5 | 6.96 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.61 | 6.43 | 6.79 | 2 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More health data for New Zealand
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.94 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4815 % change on previous year (2090)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 1,116 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 33 (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.6935 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.087 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.6744 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0918 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is births and deaths in New Zealand?
- Births and deaths in New Zealand was 6.79 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest births and deaths recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 9.04 in 1951.
- What is the lowest births and deaths recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.43 in 2020.
- How does New Zealand rank for births and deaths?
- New Zealand ranks 38th out of 41 countries with data for 2021.
- Is births and deaths rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Births and deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).