#002 · 20 Oct 2026

In 2024 New Zealand's life expectancy was 0.8 years above the average of the other OECD countries

In 2024 life expectancy at birth in New Zealand was 82.0 years: 20th of 38 OECD countries and 2.4 years behind Switzerland. It has risen 6.6 years since 1990.

Life expectancy at birth: New Zealand and the OECD · years

Hover or tap the chart for details.

82.0New Zealand, 2024

20th of 38rank, 2024

2.4behind Switzerland

What to notice

New Zealand's life expectancy at birth rose from 75.4 years in 1990 to 82.0 in 2024, a gain of 6.6 years. Its highest value in the data is 82.3, in 2020.

In 2024 the average of the other OECD countries was 81.2 years, so New Zealand sat 0.8 years above it. The range ran from 84.4 in Switzerland to 75.3 in Mexico, a spread of 9.1 years.

The dashed line is a simple average of the other countries, not weighted by population. Life expectancy at birth is the number of years a newborn would live if that year's death rates stayed the same for life.

About the data

Source: The World Bank · data page
Licence: CC BY 4.0. Credit: The World Bank: Life expectancy at birth, total (years): World Development Indicators
What we changed: Selected the 38 OECD member countries and the years 1990 to 2024. The average of the other 37 countries on the chart is a simple average calculated for this post; nothing else was changed.
Covers: 1990 to 2024, 38 series.
Note: 38 series is a lot for one chart. Consider highlighting one and keeping fewer lines.
Built by: A script from the data below. Every number is computed by code and checked against the words; charts are drawn from the same table. The words were drafted by an AI assistant from those computed facts, then checked by a script and a person.

Download the data (CSV)

As posted on Instagram

Line chart of life expectancy at birth, 1990 to 2024, for 38 OECD countries. New Zealand, in amber, rises from 75.4 to 82.0 years. A dashed line shows the average of the other countries, and grey lines show each of the others.

Life expectancy at birth in New Zealand: 75.4 years in 1990, 82.0 in 2024, a gain of 6.6 years. That is 0.8 years above the average of the other OECD countries (81.2), and 20th of 38 countries, 2.4 years behind Switzerland. Tap the link in bio for the interactive chart and the data.

Source: The World Bank: Life expectancy at birth, total (years): World Development Indicators. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Changes: Selected the 38 OECD member countries and the years 1990 to 2024. The average of the other 37 countries on the chart is a simple average calculated for this post; nothing else was changed.

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