New Zealand is an archipelago with three main islands: the North, South and Stewart Island. The indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, the Māori people, refer to the country as Aotearoa. With a population of approximately 5 million, Europeans make up the predominant ethnic group. The median age of the inhabitants is 38 years. Further, 86 percent of the population dwells in urban areas. Additionally, 90 percent of the population lives within 50 kilometers of the coastline. Here are 10 facts about life expectancy in New Zealand.
10 Facts About Life Expectancy in New Zealand
- Māori Life Expectancy: During 2013, the life expectancy of Māori males was 73 years and 77 years for Māori females. Life expectancy at birth of non-Māori males was 80 years and 84 years for non-Māori females.
- Māori Suicide Rates: Māori suicide rates were significantly higher than the rest of the population. Ages 15-24 years are the most likely to commit suicide. The suicide rate of males was twice as prevalent as for females.
- Cardiovascular Disease: One can attribute cardiovascular disease, cancer and injury to the highest mortality rates. The predominant causes of death are ischemic heart disease, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, cerebrovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Alcohol and Smoking: During 2016, 80 percent of the adult population reported alcohol use once or more a week. Additionally, 16.3 percent of New Zealanders are current smokers; however, approximately 19 percent of youth ages 18-24 smoke daily.
- Organizations Aiding Indigenous Peoples: The New Zealand Health Strategy, Māori Health Strategy and the Primary Health Care Strategy came to fruition in 2000. These strategies diminish and manage racial discrimination, ethnicity data protocols and mortality records.
- Crops: The crops traditionally eaten in New Zealand are sweet potatoes, taro and cabbage. For greens, the Māori also traditionally consume shoots and leaves.
- Work-Life Balance: Organizational commitments and supportive work environments improve work-life balance. In New Zealand, full-time workers devote 63 percent of their day to personal care and leisure.
- Fetal Deaths: During 2016, there was a fetal death rate of 6.8 per 1,000 total births and an infant death rate of 4 per 1,000 live births. Mortality rates are generally higher for males than females. Additionally, mortality rates for Māori were generally greater than for non-Māori.
- Public Health Care: A major contributor to these 10 facts about life expectancy in New Zealand is that the public health care system offers free hospital care to all permanent residents. Primary health organizations continue to provide subsidies to medical costs. Additional expenditures apply to non-residents.
- University Attendance: During 2018, there were 175,245 university students attending school with 49,400 post-graduate students. Over 44,000 students enroll and graduate from universities every year; 90 percent of which are at a bachelor’s degree level. More Māori reports indicate less schooling and higher levels of unemployment.
These 10 facts about life expectancy in New Zealand determine that occupation, income and education all directly correlate with health and life expectancy. Certain circ*mstances provide beneficial outcomes and better health than people living in poverty. Māori people continue to face worse health conditions than other ethnic groups. Further, racism and inequality are detrimental to wellbeing and life expectancy. However, mortality rates are beginning to improve throughout New Zealand. Socioeconomic factors still continue to play a prominent role in life expectancy.
– Zach Erlanger
Photo: Flickr
FAQs
Public Health Care: A major contributor to these 10 facts about life expectancy in New Zealand is that the public health care system offers free hospital care to all permanent residents. Primary health organizations continue to provide subsidies to medical costs. Additional expenditures apply to non-residents.
Which country has the lowest life expectancy? ›
Men born in the Lesotho have the lowest life expectancy of the world as of 2023, reaching only 50 years. The lowest life expectancy for women in the world in 2023 was for girls born in Nigeria, with only 54 years. Except for Afghanistan, all the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the world are in Africa.
What country has the highest life expectancy? ›
Why do Māori have a lower life expectancy? ›
Māori and Pacific people have had consistently poorer health than other ethnic groups since the 19th century. Though this is linked to socio-economic status, both populations still have poorer health when factors like income, occupation, education, neighbourhood and personal behaviour are accounted for.
Is New Zealand poor or rich? ›
Economy of New Zealand
| Country group | Developed/Advanced High-income economy |
| Statistics |
|---|
| Population | 5,223,100 (June 2023 estimate) |
| GDP | US$249 billion (nominal, 2023) US$279 billion (PPP, 2023) |
| GDP rank | 46th (nominal, 2023) 52nd (PPP, 2023) |
36 more rowsGenerally, people in New Zealand are friendly and enjoy a laid-back pace of life. We don't subscribe to the same work culture as the United States, so people rarely work late or on weekends. Combined with weather that is usually pretty good, this makes New Zealand a nice place to live.
Who has the shortest lifespan? ›
Mayflies (order Ephemeroptera) are aquatic insects known for having the shortest lifespans of any creature in the animal kingdom—they typically live for only one day. There are over 3,000 species of mayflies that live in aquatic habitats around the world.
What was the lifespan of humans 10,000 years ago? ›
In contrast, hom*o sapiens who roamed Europe between 44,000 and 10,000 years ago often lived to 30 or more, achieving a ratio of 2.08 [see “The Evolution of Grandparents,” by Rachel Caspari]. Calculating the life expectancy of early H.
Who has the longest lifespan on Earth? ›
The longest documented and verified human lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of France, a woman who lived to age 122 years and 164 days. She received news media attention in 1985, after turning 110. Calment's claim was investigated and authenticated by Jean-Marie Robine and Dr.
Why do females live longer? ›
Biological differences also help to explain women's higher longevity. Scientists believe that estrogen in women combats conditions such as heart disease by helping reduce circulatory levels of harmful cholesterol. Women are also thought to have stronger immune systems than men.
The top three overall, Norway, Australia and the Netherlands offer high living standards, strong economies, an excellent work-life balance, robust social security systems and inclusive, diverse work environments. All are in the top three happiest countries globally, but each also scored high in other areas.
How long can a 75 year old expect to live? ›
A 75-year-old has an average life expectancy of 12 years. But when Dr. Eric Widera, a geriatrician at the University of California, San Francisco, analyzed census data from 2019, he found enormous variation.
What is the life expectancy in New Zealand? ›
The life expectancy for New Zealand in 2022 was 82.65 years, a 0.18% increase from 2021. The life expectancy for New Zealand in 2021 was 82.50 years, a 0.18% increase from 2020.
What is the most common cause of death for Māori? ›
For Māori, the leading causes of death in 2021 were cancer, ischaemic heart diseases and chronic lower respiratory diseases (with 166.2, 72.0 and 35.5 deaths per 100,000 Māori population respectively).
Do Māori believe in life after death? ›
Maori traditions suggest that the family needs to help the soul of the deceased to reach the ancestral afterlife. If that does not occur the dissatisfied dead may take someone else with them.
Why is New Zealand's population Ageing? ›
Today's older people are different from previous generations
New Zealanders are growing older and doing more. Longer life expectancies and falling fertility rates are causing our population to age but, more than ever before, older people are enjoying good health.
What causes a country to have a high life expectancy? ›
The results show that the life expectancy at birth is largely affected by the population health and socioeconomic development in the country; in other words, when population health and socioeconomic development in a country are getting better, infant mortality rate is decreasing; accordingly, the life expectancy at ...
Why has life expectancy increased so much? ›
The increase of 1.1 years in life expectancy from 2021 to 2022 primarily resulted from decreases in mortality due to COVID-19, heart disease, unintentional injuries, cancer, and homicide. Declines in COVID-19 mortality accounted for approximately 84% of the increase in life expectancy.
Why is US life expectancy lower than other countries? ›
Why do Americans have a lower life expectancy than people in other rich countries, despite paying so much more for health care? The short summary of what I will discuss below is that Americans suffer higher death rates from smoking, obesity, homicides, opioid overdoses, suicides, road accidents, and infant deaths.
New Zealand is an archipelago with three main islands: the North, South and Stewart Island. The indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, the Māori people, refer to the country as Aotearoa. With a population of approximately 5 million, Europeans make up the predominant ethnic group. The median age of the inhabitants is 38 years. Further, 86 percent of the population dwells in urban areas. Additionally, 90 percent of the population lives within 50 kilometers of the coastline. Here are 10 facts about life expectancy in New Zealand.