Births and Deaths

Life Tables | Information Releases | Publications | Classifications and Standards | Overview Information

Statistics on births and deaths (along with marriages and divorces) are often referred to as 'vital statistics', as they provide the basic demographic information about a population and its changes over time. This information can be used to monitor demographic and social trends, and to plan for future community services and needs.

Statistics on deaths and death rates are affected by changes in the age structure of the population and may not provide a true measure of the trends in mortality. Life tables are therefore used to give a more accurate description of the mortality experience of the New Zealand population.

Life Tables

A life table provides a detailed description of the mortality conditions prevailing in a population in a given period. It comprises an array of measures, including probability of death, probability of survival, and life expectancy at various ages.

Life tables are used in a variety of ways by public health workers, actuaries, demographers and social researchers. Life expectancy is often used to monitor the progress of the overall health status of a population and to make comparisons between males and females, between Mäori and non-Mäori, between regions and between countries. Other applications of life tables include the production of population projections, and the calculation of length of disability-free life, length of working life and length of widowhood.

At five-yearly intervals, Statistics New Zealand produces complete life tables for Mäori, non-Mäori, and total populations by age and sex. Abridged life tables for the total population are also produced annually for New Zealand and five-yearly for subnational areas.

New Zealand Life Tables 2000-2002 were released in March 2004. For an in-depth analysis of the latest longevity figures, see the latest Hot Off The Press - New Zealand Life Tables 2000-2002 or the Reference Report - New Zealand Life Tables (2000-2002).

Mortality and longevity trends for the total population of subnational areas (regional councils and territorial authorities) are available in the Reference Report - New Zealand Life Tables (2000-2002).

The following Excel file contains the abridged life table for 2001-2003.

Downloadable MS Excel file
2001-2003 Abridged Life Table

(29Kb)

This files is in Microsoft Excel XP format. If you do not have access to Excel 97 or higher you may use the Excel file viewer to view, print and export the contents of this file.

This page last modified on: 02 August 2004