Life Expectancy at Birth in New Zealand
New Zealand: Life Expectancy at Birth was 82.01 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
82.01
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
35th
of 216 countries
All-time high
82.26
in 2020
All-time low
70.99
in 1961
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life Expectancy at Birth in New Zealand, 1960–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth in New Zealand is 82.01, measured 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 in New Zealand peaked at 82.26 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 70.99, in 1961.
New Zealand ranks 35th of 216 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life Expectancy at Birth in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 71.24 | — |
| 1961 | 70.99 | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 71.23 | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 71.28 | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 71.33 | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 71.23 | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 71.12 | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 71.47 | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 71.12 | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 71.47 | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 71.27 | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 71.77 | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 71.83 | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 71.67 | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 71.92 | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 72.22 | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 72.42 | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 72.17 | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 73.02 | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 73.07 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 72.83 | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 73.62 | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 73.72 | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 73.78 | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 74.37 | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 73.83 | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 74.12 | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 74.18 | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 74.42 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 74.82 | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 75.38 | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 76.03 | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 76.12 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 76.43 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 76.88 | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 76.73 | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 76.79 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 77.33 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 78.09 | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 77.89 | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 78.64 | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 78.69 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 78.85 | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 79.15 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 79.55 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 79.85 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 80.05 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 80.15 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 80.35 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 80.7 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 80.9 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 81.16 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 81.41 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 81.4 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 81.46 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 81.61 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 81.66 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 81.86 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 81.71 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 82.06 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 82.26 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 82.21 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 81.96 | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 81.76 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 82.01 | +0.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 82.01 is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.36, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 82.01 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.99, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 71.25 | 70.99 | 71.47 | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.14 | 71.27 | 73.07 | 10 |
| 1980s | 73.97 | 72.83 | 74.82 | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.77 | 75.38 | 78.09 | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.6 | 78.64 | 80.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.52 | 80.9 | 82.06 | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.04 | 81.76 | 82.26 | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More gender data for New Zealand
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 907.87 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.6435 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 4,499 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 4,499 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.7305 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 28,751 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 30,320 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 29,075 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 30,663 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 29,141 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in New Zealand?
- Life expectancy at birth in New Zealand was 82.01 in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 82.26 in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.99 in 1961.
- How does New Zealand rank for life expectancy at birth?
- New Zealand ranks 35th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth 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 International Monetary Fund, published as part of Life Expectancy at Birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.