Life expectancy at birth, by sex in New Zealand
New Zealand: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 83.77 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
83.77 years
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
42nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
84.46 years
in 2020
All-time low
71.24 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in New Zealand, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, by sex in New Zealand is 83.77 years, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in New Zealand peaked at 84.46 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 71.24 years, in 1950.
New Zealand ranks 42nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 71.24 years | — |
| 1951 | 71.44 years | +0.3% |
| 1952 | 71.5 years | +0.1% |
| 1953 | 72.69 years | +1.7% |
| 1954 | 72.85 years | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 72.99 years | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 73.28 years | +0.4% |
| 1957 | 73.02 years | -0.3% |
| 1958 | 73.48 years | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 73.39 years | -0.1% |
| 1960 | 73.95 years | +0.8% |
| 1961 | 73.67 years | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 74.12 years | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 74.23 years | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 74.31 years | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 74.31 years | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 74.32 years | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 74.67 years | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 74.29 years | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 74.75 years | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 74.5 years | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 74.99 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 74.75 years | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 75.14 years | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 75.13 years | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 75.56 years | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 75.67 years | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 75.58 years | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 76.43 years | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 76.48 years | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 75.8 years | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 76.9 years | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 76.88 years | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 76.93 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 77.67 years | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 76.85 years | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 77.36 years | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 77.15 years | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 77.6 years | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 77.98 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 78.35 years | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 78.85 years | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 79.29 years | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 79.18 years | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 79.65 years | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 79.47 years | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 79.34 years | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 80.05 years | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 80.78 years | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 80.37 years | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 81.2 years | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 80.98 years | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 81.07 years | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 81.34 years | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 81.36 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 82.11 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 82.02 years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 82.17 years | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 82.23 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 82.48 years | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 82.93 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 82.59 years | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 83.02 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 83.4 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 83.19 years | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 83.21 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 83.74 years | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 83.28 years | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 83.6 years | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 83.65 years | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 84.46 years | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 84.02 years | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 82.59 years | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 83.77 years | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 72.59 years | 71.24 years | 73.48 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 74.26 years | 73.67 years | 74.75 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 75.42 years | 74.5 years | 76.48 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 77.11 years | 75.8 years | 77.98 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 79.53 years | 78.35 years | 80.78 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.7 years | 80.98 years | 82.48 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.26 years | 82.59 years | 83.74 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.71 years | 82.59 years | 84.46 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 39 Denmark 83.86 years compare
- 40 Saint Martin (French part) 83.84 years compare
- 41 Luxembourg 83.84 years compare
- 43 Germany 83.76 years compare
- 44 Netherlands 83.74 years compare
- 45 Cyprus 83.67 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)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 58 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in New Zealand?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in New Zealand was 83.77 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 84.46 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.24 years in 1950.
- How does New Zealand rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- New Zealand ranks 42nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.