Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 82.01 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
82.01 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
35th
of 218 countries
All-time high
82.26 years
in 2020
All-time low
70.99 years
in 1961
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 82.01 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand peaked at 82.26 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 70.99 years, in 1961.
That places New Zealand 35th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 71.24 years | — |
| 1961 | 70.99 years | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 71.23 years | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 71.28 years | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 71.33 years | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 71.23 years | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 71.12 years | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 71.47 years | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 71.12 years | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 71.47 years | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 71.27 years | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 71.77 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 71.83 years | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 71.67 years | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 71.92 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 72.22 years | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 72.42 years | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 72.17 years | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 73.02 years | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 73.07 years | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 72.83 years | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 73.62 years | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 73.72 years | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 73.78 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 74.37 years | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 73.83 years | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 74.12 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 74.18 years | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 74.42 years | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 74.82 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 75.38 years | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 76.03 years | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 76.12 years | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 76.43 years | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 76.88 years | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 76.73 years | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 76.79 years | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 77.33 years | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 78.09 years | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 77.89 years | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 78.64 years | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 78.69 years | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 78.85 years | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 79.15 years | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 79.55 years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 79.85 years | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 80.05 years | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 80.15 years | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 80.35 years | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 80.7 years | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 80.9 years | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 81.16 years | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 81.41 years | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 81.4 years | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 81.46 years | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 81.61 years | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 81.66 years | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 81.86 years | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 81.71 years | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 82.06 years | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 82.26 years | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 82.21 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 81.96 years | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 81.76 years | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 82.01 years | +0.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 82.01 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.36 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 82.01 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.99 years, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 71.25 years | 70.99 years | 71.47 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.14 years | 71.27 years | 73.07 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 73.97 years | 72.83 years | 74.82 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.77 years | 75.38 years | 78.09 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.6 years | 78.64 years | 80.7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.52 years | 80.9 years | 82.06 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.04 years | 81.76 years | 82.26 years | 5 |
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 33 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0291 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand was 82.01 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 82.26 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.99 years in 1961.
- How does New Zealand rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- New Zealand ranks 35th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.