Life expectancy in New Zealand

New Zealand: Life expectancy was 82.1 Years in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
82.1 Years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
17th
of 41 countries
All-time high
82.1 Years
in 2024
All-time low
71.1 Years
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Life expectancy in New Zealand, 1961–2024

020406080196119922024

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Years.

Analysis

New Zealand recorded 82.1 Years for life expectancy in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy in New Zealand peaked at 82.1 Years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 71.1 Years, in 1961.

New Zealand ranks 17th of 41 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 71.28 Years 71.1 Years 71.5 Years 9
1970s 72.11 Years 71.5 Years 72.9 Years 10
1980s 74.03 Years 73.2 Years 75.2 Years 10
1990s 76.74 Years 75.5 Years 78.1 Years 10
2000s 79.64 Years 78.4 Years 80.7 Years 10
2010s 81.4 Years 80.8 Years 81.7 Years 10
2020s 81.84 Years 81.7 Years 82.1 Years 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 14 Belgium 82.4 Years compare
  2. 15 Canada 82.2 Years compare
  3. 15 Finland 82.2 Years compare
  4. 17 Austria 82.1 Years compare
  5. 19 Denmark 82 Years compare
  6. 20 Greece 81.9 Years compare

See the full ranking of 51 places β†’

More health data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy in New Zealand?
Life expectancy in New Zealand was 82.1 Years in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest life expectancy recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 82.1 Years in 2024.
What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 71.1 Years in 1961.
How does New Zealand rank for life expectancy?
New Zealand ranks 17th out of 41 countries with data for 2024.
Is life expectancy rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-2/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy
Unit
Years
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
51 places, 3,041 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents data on life expectancy at birth, and at ages 40, 60, 65 and 80 years old. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.