Period versus cohort life expectancy in New Zealand
New Zealand: Period versus cohort life expectancy was 82.3 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
82.3 years
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
13th
of 41 countries
All-time high
82.67 years
in 2020
All-time low
68.81 years
in 1948
Years of data
74
1948–2021
Period versus cohort life expectancy in New Zealand, 1948–2021
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for period versus cohort life expectancy in New Zealand is 82.3 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, period versus cohort life expectancy in New Zealand peaked at 82.67 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 68.81 years, in 1948.
That places New Zealand 13th out of 41 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Period versus cohort life expectancy in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 68.81 years | — |
| 1949 | 68.95 years | +0.2% |
| 1950 | 69.25 years | +0.4% |
| 1951 | 69.13 years | -0.2% |
| 1952 | 69.37 years | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 70.21 years | +1.2% |
| 1954 | 70.33 years | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 70.48 years | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 70.72 years | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 70.25 years | -0.7% |
| 1958 | 70.88 years | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 70.77 years | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 71.22 years | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 70.93 years | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 71.2 years | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 71.27 years | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 71.29 years | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 71.21 years | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 71.07 years | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 71.44 years | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 71.09 years | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 71.48 years | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 71.22 years | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 71.72 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 71.82 years | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 71.68 years | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 71.94 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 72.2 years | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 72.4 years | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 72.14 years | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 73.01 years | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 73.05 years | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 72.87 years | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 73.64 years | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 73.73 years | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 73.83 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 74.37 years | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 73.87 years | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 74.12 years | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 74.21 years | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 74.48 years | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 74.89 years | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 75.43 years | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 76.08 years | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 76.19 years | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 76.5 years | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 76.92 years | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 76.79 years | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 76.81 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 77.35 years | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 78.17 years | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 77.91 years | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 78.67 years | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 78.67 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 78.87 years | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 79.15 years | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 79.36 years | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 80.04 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 80.02 years | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 80.12 years | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 80.25 years | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 80.55 years | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 81.06 years | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 80.85 years | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 81.17 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 81.6 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 81.42 years | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 81.59 years | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 82 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 81.61 years | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 81.9 years | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 81.83 years | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 82.67 years | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 82.3 years | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 68.88 years | 68.81 years | 68.95 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 70.14 years | 69.13 years | 70.88 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 71.22 years | 70.93 years | 71.48 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.12 years | 71.22 years | 73.05 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 74 years | 72.87 years | 74.89 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.81 years | 75.43 years | 78.17 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.57 years | 78.67 years | 80.55 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.5 years | 80.85 years | 82 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.48 years | 82.3 years | 82.67 years | 2 |
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Frequently asked questions
- What is period versus cohort life expectancy in New Zealand?
- Period versus cohort life expectancy in New Zealand was 82.3 years in 2021, according to Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest period versus cohort life expectancy recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 82.67 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest period versus cohort life expectancy recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.81 years in 1948.
- How does New Zealand rank for period versus cohort life expectancy?
- New Zealand ranks 13th out of 41 countries with data for 2021.
- Is period versus cohort 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 rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Period versus cohort life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth, in a given year.