Number of infant deaths in New Zealand
New Zealand: Number of infant deaths was 235.0% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
235.0%
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
138th
of 199 countries
All-time high
1,404.0%
in 1959
All-time low
235.0%
in 2023
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Number of infant deaths in New Zealand, 1951–2023
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 235.0% for number of infant deaths in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 73 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of infant deaths in New Zealand peaked at 1,404.0% in 1959 and was at its lowest, 235.0%, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 138th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of infant deaths in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 1,369.0% | — |
| 1952 | 1,366.0% | -0.2% |
| 1953 | 1,352.0% | -1.0% |
| 1954 | 1,351.0% | -0.1% |
| 1955 | 1,367.0% | +1.2% |
| 1956 | 1,379.0% | +0.9% |
| 1957 | 1,386.0% | +0.5% |
| 1958 | 1,394.0% | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 1,404.0% | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 1,402.0% | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 1,390.0% | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 1,347.0% | -3.1% |
| 1963 | 1,287.0% | -4.5% |
| 1964 | 1,217.0% | -5.4% |
| 1965 | 1,139.0% | -6.4% |
| 1966 | 1,095.0% | -3.9% |
| 1967 | 1,082.0% | -1.2% |
| 1968 | 1,082.0% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1,075.0% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 1,052.0% | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 1,046.0% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 1,029.0% | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 968.0% | -5.9% |
| 1974 | 911.0% | -5.9% |
| 1975 | 855.0% | -6.1% |
| 1976 | 805.0% | -5.8% |
| 1977 | 769.0% | -4.5% |
| 1978 | 718.0% | -6.6% |
| 1979 | 683.0% | -4.9% |
| 1980 | 659.0% | -3.5% |
| 1981 | 632.0% | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 612.0% | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 595.0% | -2.8% |
| 1984 | 590.0% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 584.0% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 575.0% | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 571.0% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 570.0% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 558.0% | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 539.0% | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 513.0% | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 484.0% | -5.7% |
| 1993 | 458.0% | -5.4% |
| 1994 | 430.0% | -6.1% |
| 1995 | 408.0% | -5.1% |
| 1996 | 392.0% | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 377.0% | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 359.0% | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 348.0% | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 343.0% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 331.0% | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 315.0% | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 308.0% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 312.0% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 313.0% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 313.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 327.0% | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 337.0% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 330.0% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 325.0% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 317.0% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 306.0% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 292.0% | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 276.0% | -5.5% |
| 2015 | 274.0% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 272.0% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 263.0% | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 255.0% | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 251.0% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 246.0% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 242.0% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 240.0% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 235.0% | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1,374.2% | 1,351.0% | 1,404.0% | 9 |
| 1960s | 1,211.6% | 1,075.0% | 1,402.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 883.6% | 683.0% | 1,052.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 594.6% | 558.0% | 659.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 430.8% | 348.0% | 539.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 322.9% | 308.0% | 343.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 283.1% | 251.0% | 325.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 240.8% | 235.0% | 246.0% | 4 |
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 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.0287 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, annual growth rate -0.9868 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male, per capita 0.0303 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of infant deaths in New Zealand?
- Number of infant deaths in New Zealand was 235.0% in 2023, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of infant deaths recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1,404.0% in 1959.
- What is the lowest number of infant deaths recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 235.0% in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for number of infant deaths?
- New Zealand ranks 138th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of infant deaths rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Number of infant deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The number of infants dying before reaching one year of age.