Life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand
New Zealand: Life expectancy at birth, total was 83 years in 2023. β² Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in New Zealand, 1970β2023
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 212 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.
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 growth rate by level of development -0.077 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 256,010 (2100)
- Population density 22.07 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.077 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.57 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 2,063 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.57 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.57 (2024)
- Natural population growth 0.4166 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 1.67 (2023)
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 212 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 Β· JSON β 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release