Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex in New Zealand
New Zealand: Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex was 0.0796 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex in New Zealand, 1948–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); Aburto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, lifespan inequality: gini coefficient by sex in New Zealand stood at 0.0796. That is the lowest value across all 76 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifespan inequality: gini coefficient by sex in New Zealand peaked at 0.1448 in 1949 and was at its lowest, 0.0796, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 192nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 76 years of available data.
Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 0.1444 | — |
| 1949 | 0.1448 | +0.3% |
| 1950 | 0.1382 | -4.6% |
| 1951 | 0.1322 | -4.3% |
| 1952 | 0.136 | +2.9% |
| 1953 | 0.1303 | -4.2% |
| 1954 | 0.1277 | -2.0% |
| 1955 | 0.1259 | -1.4% |
| 1956 | 0.1242 | -1.4% |
| 1957 | 0.1238 | -0.3% |
| 1958 | 0.1233 | -0.4% |
| 1959 | 0.1223 | -0.8% |
| 1960 | 0.1197 | -2.1% |
| 1961 | 0.1196 | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 0.1163 | -2.8% |
| 1963 | 0.116 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 0.1143 | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 0.1157 | +1.2% |
| 1966 | 0.1148 | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 0.1159 | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 0.1159 | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 0.1137 | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 0.1151 | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 0.1149 | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 0.1133 | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 0.1117 | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 0.1133 | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 0.1125 | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 0.1114 | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 0.1134 | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 0.1107 | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 0.1088 | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 0.111 | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 0.1077 | -2.9% |
| 1982 | 0.1086 | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 0.1076 | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 0.1049 | -2.4% |
| 1985 | 0.1052 | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 0.105 | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 0.1055 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 0.103 | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 0.1022 | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 0.1018 | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 0.0997 | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 0.0968 | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 0.0981 | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 0.0965 | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 0.0975 | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 0.0974 | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 0.095 | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 0.0938 | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 0.0922 | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 0.0922 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 0.0898 | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 0.0897 | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 0.0889 | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 0.0884 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 0.0871 | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 0.0855 | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 0.0867 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 0.0851 | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 0.0854 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.0842 | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 0.0835 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 0.0817 | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 0.0822 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 0.0819 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 0.0817 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 0.0806 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 0.0813 | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.0813 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0812 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 0.0805 | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 0.0811 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.0819 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 0.0796 | -2.8% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 0.0796 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0826, 96% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 0.0796 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1119, 71% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.1446 | 0.1444 | 0.1448 | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.1284 | 0.1223 | 0.1382 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1162 | 0.1137 | 0.1197 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1125 | 0.1088 | 0.1151 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1061 | 0.1022 | 0.111 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0969 | 0.0922 | 0.1018 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0879 | 0.0851 | 0.0922 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.082 | 0.0806 | 0.0842 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0808 | 0.0796 | 0.0819 | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 189 Saint Martin (French Part) 0.0808 compare
- 190 Chinese Taipei 0.0807 compare
- 191 Estonia 0.0798 compare
- 193 Anguilla 0.0793 compare
- 194 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.0788 compare
- 195 Belgium 0.0781 compare
More poverty & inequality data for New Zealand
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.67 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 9,102 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 7.22 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.71 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.7% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.082 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 24.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifespan inequality: gini coefficient by sex in New Zealand?
- Lifespan inequality: gini coefficient by sex in New Zealand was 0.0796 in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); Aburto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lifespan inequality: gini coefficient by sex recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1448 in 1949.
- What is the lowest lifespan inequality: gini coefficient by sex recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0796 in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for lifespan inequality: gini coefficient by sex?
- New Zealand ranks 192nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is lifespan inequality: gini coefficient by sex rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); Aburto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Level of inequality in lifespans, measured between 0 and 1.