Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) was 83 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
83 years
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
22nd
of 215 countries
All-time high
83 years
in 2023
All-time low
71.27 years
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand stood at 83 years. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand peaked at 83 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 71.27 years, in 1970.
That places New Zealand 22nd out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 71.27 years | — |
| 1971 | 71.77 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 71.83 years | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 71.67 years | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 71.92 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 72.22 years | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 72.42 years | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 72.17 years | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 73.02 years | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 73.07 years | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 72.83 years | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 73.62 years | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 73.72 years | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 73.78 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 74.37 years | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 73.83 years | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 74.12 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 74.18 years | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 74.42 years | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 74.82 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 75.38 years | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 76.03 years | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 76.12 years | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 76.43 years | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 76.88 years | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 76.73 years | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 76.79 years | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 77.33 years | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 78.09 years | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 77.89 years | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 78.64 years | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 78.69 years | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 78.85 years | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 79.15 years | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 79.55 years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 79.85 years | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 80.05 years | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 80.15 years | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 80.35 years | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 80.7 years | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 80.9 years | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 81.16 years | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 81.41 years | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 81.4 years | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 81.46 years | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 81.61 years | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 81.66 years | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 81.86 years | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 81.71 years | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 82.06 years | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 82.26 years | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 82.21 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 81.96 years | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 83 years | +1.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 83 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.17 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 83 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.85 years, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 72.14 years | 71.27 years | 73.07 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 73.97 years | 72.83 years | 74.82 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.77 years | 75.38 years | 78.09 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.6 years | 78.64 years | 80.7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.52 years | 80.9 years | 82.06 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.36 years | 81.96 years | 83 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More population data for New Zealand
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -14.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0739 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,949 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.628 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.191 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.077 (2100)
- Population density 22.07 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 256,010 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand was 83 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 83 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.27 years in 1970.
- How does New Zealand rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- New Zealand ranks 22nd out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release