Life expectancy in New Zealand
New Zealand: Life expectancy was 82.2 Years in 2021. ▬ Flat
Life expectancy in New Zealand, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in Years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy in New Zealand is 82.2 Years, measured in 2021.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in New Zealand peaked at 82.5 Years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 78.47 Years, in 2001.
That places New Zealand 11th out of 185 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Life expectancy in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 78.58 Years | — |
| 2001 | 78.47 Years | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 78.66 Years | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 79.06 Years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 79.15 Years | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 79.94 Years | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 79.89 Years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 80.04 Years | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 80.31 Years | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 80.56 Years | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 80.94 Years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 80.75 Years | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 81.09 Years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 81.36 Years | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 81.19 Years | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 81.31 Years | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 81.73 Years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 81.16 Years | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 81.76 Years | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 81.81 Years | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 82.5 Years | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 82.2 Years | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 79.46 Years | 78.47 Years | 80.56 Years | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.31 Years | 80.75 Years | 81.81 Years | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.35 Years | 82.2 Years | 82.5 Years | 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)
- 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)
- Population ages 75-79, female, annual growth rate 4.22 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.019 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 4.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0172 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in New Zealand?
- Life expectancy in New Zealand was 82.2 Years in 2021, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 82.5 Years in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.47 Years in 2001.
- How does New Zealand rank for life expectancy?
- New Zealand ranks 11th out of 185 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The period life expectancy at birth, in a given year.