Life expectancy by sex in New Zealand
New Zealand: Life expectancy by sex was 83.77 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
83.77 years
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
42nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
84.46 years
in 2020
All-time low
70.74 years
in 1949
Years of data
76
1948–2023
Life expectancy by sex in New Zealand, 1948–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy by sex in New Zealand stood at 83.77 years.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy by sex in New Zealand peaked at 84.46 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 70.74 years, in 1949.
That places New Zealand 42nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Life expectancy by sex in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 70.83 years | — |
| 1949 | 70.74 years | -0.1% |
| 1950 | 71.24 years | +0.7% |
| 1951 | 71.44 years | +0.3% |
| 1952 | 71.5 years | +0.1% |
| 1953 | 72.7 years | +1.7% |
| 1954 | 72.85 years | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 72.99 years | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 73.28 years | +0.4% |
| 1957 | 73.02 years | -0.3% |
| 1958 | 73.48 years | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 73.39 years | -0.1% |
| 1960 | 73.95 years | +0.8% |
| 1961 | 73.67 years | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 74.12 years | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 74.23 years | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 74.31 years | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 74.31 years | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 74.32 years | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 74.67 years | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 74.29 years | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 74.75 years | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 74.5 years | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 74.99 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 74.75 years | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 75.14 years | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 75.13 years | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 75.56 years | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 75.67 years | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 75.58 years | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 76.43 years | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 76.48 years | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 75.79 years | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 76.9 years | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 76.87 years | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 76.93 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 77.67 years | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 76.85 years | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 77.36 years | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 77.15 years | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 77.6 years | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 77.98 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 78.35 years | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 78.85 years | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 79.29 years | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 79.18 years | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 79.65 years | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 79.47 years | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 79.34 years | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 80.05 years | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 80.78 years | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 80.37 years | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 81.2 years | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 80.98 years | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 81.07 years | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 81.34 years | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 81.37 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 82.11 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 82.02 years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 82.17 years | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 82.23 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 82.48 years | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 82.93 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 82.59 years | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 83.02 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 83.4 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 83.19 years | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 83.21 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 83.74 years | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 83.28 years | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 83.6 years | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 83.65 years | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 84.46 years | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 84.02 years | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 82.59 years | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 83.77 years | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 70.78 years | 70.74 years | 70.83 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 72.59 years | 71.24 years | 73.48 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 74.26 years | 73.67 years | 74.75 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 75.42 years | 74.5 years | 76.48 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 77.11 years | 75.79 years | 77.98 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 79.53 years | 78.35 years | 80.78 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.7 years | 80.98 years | 82.48 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.26 years | 82.59 years | 83.74 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.71 years | 82.59 years | 84.46 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 39 Denmark 83.85 years compare
- 40 Saint Martin (French part) 83.84 years compare
- 41 Luxembourg 83.84 years compare
- 43 Germany 83.76 years compare
- 44 Netherlands 83.74 years compare
- 45 Cyprus 83.67 years compare
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)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Population density 22.07 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 256,010 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy by sex in New Zealand?
- Life expectancy by sex in New Zealand was 83.77 years in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy by sex recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 84.46 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy by sex recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.74 years in 1949.
- How does New Zealand rank for life expectancy by sex?
- New Zealand ranks 42nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy by sex rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. 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); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth among females, in a given year.