# NZ Cohort Life Tables: March 2026 Update

**Source:** Stats NZ — New Zealand Cohort Life Tables  
**URL:** https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/new-zealand-cohort-life-tables-march-2026-update/  
**Release Date:** 27 March 2026, 10:45am  
**Next Release:** March 2027  
**Access Date:** 9 June 2026

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## What These Are

Cohort life tables follow the mortality experience of people born in each year from 1876, tracking them at each age until the death of the last survivor. They provide the **most authoritative measure of life expectancy** because they follow actual birth cohorts rather than simulating from a single year's mortality rates.

## Life Expectancy at Birth

| Birth Cohort                  | Male (avg years) | Female (avg years) |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------- | ------------------ |
| Late 1870s (earliest data)    | ~51              | ~55                |
| Early 1960s (now reaching 65) | ~79              | ~83                |
| Early 2020s (latest cohort)   | ~89              | ~92                |

## Life Expectancy at Age 65

| Birth Cohort | Male (additional years) | Female (additional years) |
| ------------ | ----------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Late 1870s   | 13                      | 15                        |
| Early 1960s  | 21                      | 24                        |
| Early 2020s  | 26                      | 28                        |

## Infant Mortality (Deaths under 1 per 1,000)

| Birth Cohort | Male | Female |
| ------------ | ---- | ------ |
| Late 1870s   | ~154 | ~132   |
| Early 1960s  | ~24  | ~18    |
| Early 2020s  | ~6   | ~4     |

## Key Insights for Seniors Policy

1. **A woman turning 65 today (born ~1960) can expect to live another 24 years** — to ~age 89. A Baby Boomer woman turning 65 in the early 2020s can expect 28 more years — to ~age 93.

2. **These are projected (not observed)** life expectancies for younger cohorts, based on mortality projections from the National Population Projections 2024(base)–2078. They assume continued improvements in mortality.

3. **The 85+ population is the fastest-growing age group** — consistent with these cohort life table projections. The cohort aged 65+ in 2022 (~842,000) will be 1 million by 2028 and ~1.3 million by 2040 (Stats NZ median projections).

4. **Implications for NZ Super**: Every extra year of life expectancy adds ~$16,000+ per person to NZ Super costs (at current rates). These cohort projections feed directly into Treasury long-term fiscal modelling.

## Data Downloads Available

| File                                                     | Format | Size   |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ------ | ------ |
| Estimated births, deaths, net migration by sex 1876–2025 | Excel  | 51 KB  |
| Female complete cohort life tables 1876–2024             | Excel  | 274 KB |
| Male complete cohort life tables 1876–2024               | Excel  | 278 KB |
| NZ complete cohort life tables 1876–2024                 | CSV    | 5.8 MB |

## Interactive Tool

Stats NZ's **"How long will I live?"** calculator was updated with this data on 27 March 2026:  
https://www.stats.govt.nz/tools/how-long-will-i-live

## Related KB Files

- `2025 - Stats NZ - Web Capture - Life Expectancy Data` (superseded by this update)
- `2026 - Stats NZ - Web Capture - National Population Projections` (source of mortality assumptions)
- `12_Statistics_and_Demographics/2026 - Stats NZ - National Population Estimates March 2026 Quarter`

## Contacts

- **Media:** media@stats.govt.nz | 021 285 9191
- **Technical:** Rebekah Hennessey — info@stats.govt.nz | 04 931 4600

**ISSN:** 2422-8982