End-of-life care — Deaths in hospital in New Zealand

New Zealand: End-of-life care — Deaths in hospital was 32.2 Percentage of deaths in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
32.2 Percentage of deaths
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
16th
of 18 countries
All-time high
38.4 Percentage of deaths
in 2007
All-time low
32.2 Percentage of deaths
in 2018
Years of data
14
2005–2018

End-of-life care — Deaths in hospital in New Zealand, 2005–2018

0102030402005201120182005: 37.6 Percentage of deaths2006: 38.3 Percentage of deaths2007: 38.4 Percentage of deaths2008: 38.1 Percentage of deaths2009: 38.3 Percentage of deaths2010: 38 Percentage of deaths2011: 36.5 Percentage of deaths2012: 35 Percentage of deaths2013: 34.5 Percentage of deaths2014: 34.7 Percentage of deaths2015: 32.6 Percentage of deaths2016: 32.4 Percentage of deaths2017: 32.9 Percentage of deaths2018: 32.2 Percentage of deaths

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of deaths.

Analysis

In 2018, end-of-life care — deaths in hospital in New Zealand stood at 32.2 Percentage of deaths. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, end-of-life care — deaths in hospital in New Zealand peaked at 38.4 Percentage of deaths in 2007 and was at its lowest, 32.2 Percentage of deaths, in 2018.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.

End-of-life care — Deaths in hospital in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for End-of-life care — Deaths in hospital in New Zealand, 2005 to 2018.
Year Percentage of deaths Change
2005 37.6 Percentage of deaths
2006 38.3 Percentage of deaths +1.9%
2007 38.4 Percentage of deaths +0.3%
2008 38.1 Percentage of deaths -0.8%
2009 38.3 Percentage of deaths +0.5%
2010 38 Percentage of deaths -0.8%
2011 36.5 Percentage of deaths -3.9%
2012 35 Percentage of deaths -4.1%
2013 34.5 Percentage of deaths -1.4%
2014 34.7 Percentage of deaths +0.6%
2015 32.6 Percentage of deaths -6.1%
2016 32.4 Percentage of deaths -0.6%
2017 32.9 Percentage of deaths +1.5%
2018 32.2 Percentage of deaths -2.1%

New Zealand compared with similar countries

  • New Zealand's 32.2 Percentage of deaths is below the median for high income countries, which is 43.85 Percentage of deaths, 73% of the median. (18 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 38.14 Percentage of deaths 37.6 Percentage of deaths 38.4 Percentage of deaths 5
2010s 34.31 Percentage of deaths 32.2 Percentage of deaths 38 Percentage of deaths 9

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 13 Sweden 37.9 Percentage of deaths compare
  2. 14 Romania 36.8 Percentage of deaths compare
  3. 15 Denmark 35.3 Percentage of deaths compare
  4. 17 Switzerland 31.2 Percentage of deaths compare
  5. 18 Norway 28.6 Percentage of deaths

See the full ranking of 26 places →

More health data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is end-of-life care — deaths in hospital in New Zealand?
End-of-life care — deaths in hospital in New Zealand was 32.2 Percentage of deaths in 2018, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest end-of-life care — deaths in hospital recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 38.4 Percentage of deaths in 2007.
What is the lowest end-of-life care — deaths in hospital recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 32.2 Percentage of deaths in 2018.
How does New Zealand rank for end-of-life care — deaths in hospital?
New Zealand ranks 16th out of 18 countries with data for 2018.
Is end-of-life care — deaths in hospital rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of End-of-life care — Deaths in hospital. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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End-of-life care — Deaths in hospital in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/end-of-life-care-deaths-in-hospital/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
End-of-life care — Deaths in hospital
Unit
Percentage of deaths
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
26 places, 340 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

End of Life Care (EC) is a subgroup of indicators within the HCQO database and provides data on the quality of care provided to people who are near the end of life. End of life care is a key indicator of healthcare quality, as high rates of hospital or acute care deaths, and frequent unplanned hospital readmissions in the final months of life may reflect gaps in access to and adequacy of community-based or palliative care. The database includes indicators on deaths occurring in inpatient acute care and hospital settings, and on the proportion of patients with unplanned readmissions during the last 30 or 180 days of life. These indicators focus on individuals who die due to conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and dementia. Indicators are reported as crude rates. For further information, please consult: The HCQO Definitions document provides indicator definitions and calculation methodologies of HCQO indicators The Sources and Methods survey on End of Life Care (EC) provides detailed country-specific information The OECD’s Health System Performance Assessment (HSPA) Framework outlines how HCQO indicators relate to the OECD’s HSPA domains of Access, Quality and People’s needs and preferences