24 Feb 2017

New Zealanders life expectancy rising

From Morning Report, 8:40 am on 24 February 2017

South Korean women will be the first people in the world to have an average life expectancy above 90, and New Zealand women aren't far behind.

an elderly woman's hands

an elderly woman's hands Photo: 123.rf

By 2030, girls born in New Zealand can expect to live 86 years on average - three years more than now - and boys to 83, a gain of nearly five years.

This is according to a new report from Imperial College London and the World Health Organisation, which analysed lifespans in 35 industrialised countries.

The lead author of the report, James Bennett from Imperial College London, is says New Zealand women are holding their position in the middle of the pack - but our men are doing very well.

"They're holding their position in the top five of the group of 35 countries."