Life Expectancy in New Zealand (2024): Men 80.4, Women 83.7

Life expectancy in New Zealand since 1960

Women
Men

Since 1960, life expectancy in New Zealand has risen by 10.8 years, from 71.2 to 82.0. Women live 3.3 years longer than men (83.7 vs 80.4).

Expected age at death in New Zealand by age

Life expectancy at birth includes deaths in childhood. Once people reach adulthood they can expect to live longer — here is the average expected age at death for people who have already reached each age:

Current age	Birth	20	40	60	80
Men	80.4	81.3	82.1	83.7	89.0
Women	83.7	84.7	85.4	86.7	91.1

Birth: World Bank. Other ages: our survival model calibrated to New Zealand’s figures (method).

How people die in New Zealand

Chronic diseases: 89.4%
Infections, maternal & nutritional: 4.4%
Injuries: 6.2%

In 2019, 89% of deaths in New Zealand were caused by chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes (world: 74%). A New Zealand man has a 12% chance and a woman 8% of dying of one of these diseases between the ages of 30 and 70 (world: 21% and 16%). Road traffic accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 each year (world: 16.7).

See which causes of death are most likely for you →

Child mortality

Out of every 1,000 babies born in New Zealand, about 4.7 die before their fifth birthday (world: 37.4). This is one of the main reasons life expectancy at birth differs so much between countries.

New Zealand compared with its region

New Zealand is in the World Bank’s East Asia & Pacific region, where the average life expectancy is 74.1 years. It ranks #8 of 37 countries there.

#	Country	Overall	Men	Women
4	South Korea	83.6	80.8	86.6
5	Macao	83.3	80.6	86.2
6	Singapore	83.3	81.2	85.6
7	Australia	83.1	81.1	85.1
8	New Zealand	82.0	80.4	83.7
9	New Caledonia	78.9	76.5	81.4
10	Northern Mariana Islands	78.9	77.3	80.9
11	China	78.0	75.2	81.0
12	Guam	77.4	73.7	81.6

See all 217 countries ranked →

Frequently asked questions

What is the life expectancy in New Zealand?

82.0 years in 2024: 80.4 for men and 83.7 for women, according to the World Bank.

Do women live longer than men in New Zealand?

Yes. Women in New Zealand live about 3.3 years longer than men. Worldwide the gap is 4.9 years in favour of women.

How does New Zealand rank for life expectancy?

New Zealand ranks #37 out of 217 countries and territories with data. That is 8.5 years above the world average of 73.5.

What is the average age of death in New Zealand?

Life expectancy at birth (82.0) is pulled down by deaths in childhood. Adults live longer: a 40-year-old man in New Zealand can expect to live to about 82.1, and a 40-year-old woman to about 85.4.

Sources

World Bank, World Development Indicators: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.MA.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.FE.IN), under-5 mortality (SH.DYN.MORT), causes of death (SH.DTH.NCOM.ZS, SH.DTH.INJR.ZS), mortality from major chronic diseases (SH.DYN.NCOM.MA.ZS, SH.DYN.NCOM.FE.ZS) and road traffic deaths (SH.STA.TRAF.P5). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Link

Data updated October 25, 2026.