Sex gap in life expectancy in New Zealand
New Zealand: Sex gap in life expectancy was 3.36 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.36 years
Change on year
up 7.7%
World rank
211th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.7 years
in 1977
All-time low
3.12 years
in 2022
Years of data
76
1948–2023
Sex gap in life expectancy in New Zealand, 1948–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 3.36 years for sex gap in life expectancy in 2023.
That represents a change of up 7.7% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy in New Zealand peaked at 6.7 years in 1977 and was at its lowest, 3.12 years, in 2022.
That places New Zealand 211th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 76 years of available data.
Sex gap in life expectancy in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 3.86 years | — |
| 1949 | 3.47 years | -10.1% |
| 1950 | 3.83 years | +10.4% |
| 1951 | 4.46 years | +16.3% |
| 1952 | 4.1 years | -7.9% |
| 1953 | 4.78 years | +16.4% |
| 1954 | 4.85 years | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 4.86 years | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 4.9 years | +0.9% |
| 1957 | 5.31 years | +8.3% |
| 1958 | 5.04 years | -5.1% |
| 1959 | 5.06 years | +0.4% |
| 1960 | 5.28 years | +4.4% |
| 1961 | 5.3 years | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 5.63 years | +6.2% |
| 1963 | 5.71 years | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 5.82 years | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 5.98 years | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 6.25 years | +4.5% |
| 1967 | 6.26 years | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 6.17 years | -1.5% |
| 1969 | 6.33 years | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 6.34 years | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 6.33 years | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 5.72 years | -9.6% |
| 1973 | 6.7 years | +17.0% |
| 1974 | 6.21 years | -7.2% |
| 1975 | 6.52 years | +5.0% |
| 1976 | 6.37 years | -2.4% |
| 1977 | 6.7 years | +5.2% |
| 1978 | 6.68 years | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 6.67 years | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 5.76 years | -13.7% |
| 1981 | 6.4 years | +11.1% |
| 1982 | 6.21 years | -3.0% |
| 1983 | 6.12 years | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 6.51 years | +6.4% |
| 1985 | 5.87 years | -9.8% |
| 1986 | 6.39 years | +8.9% |
| 1987 | 5.84 years | -8.7% |
| 1988 | 6.18 years | +5.8% |
| 1989 | 6.17 years | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 5.87 years | -4.9% |
| 1991 | 5.58 years | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 6.18 years | +10.7% |
| 1993 | 5.42 years | -12.3% |
| 1994 | 5.51 years | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 5.4 years | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 5.12 years | -5.2% |
| 1997 | 5.45 years | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 5.32 years | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 4.99 years | -6.3% |
| 2000 | 5.17 years | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 4.74 years | -8.3% |
| 2002 | 4.51 years | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 4.49 years | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 4.13 years | -8.1% |
| 2005 | 4.27 years | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 4.1 years | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 4.17 years | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 4.05 years | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 3.95 years | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 3.83 years | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 3.56 years | -7.2% |
| 2012 | 3.77 years | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 3.64 years | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 3.62 years | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 3.31 years | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 3.53 years | +6.7% |
| 2017 | 3.4 years | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 3.47 years | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 3.64 years | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 3.63 years | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 3.46 years | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 3.12 years | -10.1% |
| 2023 | 3.36 years | +7.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.67 years | 3.47 years | 3.86 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 4.72 years | 3.83 years | 5.31 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.87 years | 5.28 years | 6.33 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.42 years | 5.72 years | 6.7 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.14 years | 5.76 years | 6.51 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.48 years | 4.99 years | 6.18 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.36 years | 3.95 years | 5.17 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.58 years | 3.31 years | 3.83 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.39 years | 3.12 years | 3.63 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 208 Oman 3.39 years compare
- 209 Timor-Leste 3.37 years compare
- 210 Gambia 3.36 years compare
- 212 Bangladesh 3.34 years compare
- 213 Congo 3.34 years compare
- 214 Luxembourg 3.27 years compare
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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,116 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 33 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.1187 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0277 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.018 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sex gap in life expectancy in New Zealand?
- Sex gap in life expectancy in New Zealand was 3.36 years in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 6.7 years in 1977.
- What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.12 years in 2022.
- How does New Zealand rank for sex gap in life expectancy?
- New Zealand ranks 211th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sex gap in life expectancy rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Sex gap in life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Difference in period life expectancy (females - males) at a given age.