Life Expectancy in Oceania (2026)
Life Expectancy in Oceania compares average lifespan across countries and territories in the Pacific region. The rankings are led by Australia and New Zealand, while several island states and territories record much lower life expectancy levels. Explore the latest Oceania life expectancy rankings, map, and country-by-country data.
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Life Expectancy in Oceania Rankings
| # | Country | Life Expectancy (Both Sexes) | Global Rank | Continent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇵🇫French Polynesia |
84.44 | 8 | Oceania |
| 2 | 🇦🇺Australia |
84.34 | 10 | Oceania |
| 3 | 🇳🇿New Zealand |
82.52 | 36 | Oceania |
| 4 | 🇳🇨New Caledonia |
79.23 | 65 | Oceania |
| 5 | 🇲🇵Northern Mariana Islands |
79.22 | 66 | Oceania |
| 6 | 🇼🇫Wallis & Futuna |
79.03 | 69 | Oceania |
| 7 | 🇬🇺Guam |
77.81 | 88 | Oceania |
| 8 | 🇹🇰Tokelau |
77.42 | 94 | Oceania |
| 9 | 🇨🇰Cook Islands |
75.85 | 117 | Oceania |
| 10 | 🇹🇴Tonga |
73.39 | 141 | Oceania |
| 11 | 🇦🇸American Samoa |
73.25 | 144 | Oceania |
| 12 | 🇼🇸Samoa |
72.08 | 157 | Oceania |
| 13 | 🇻🇺Vanuatu |
72.02 | 158 | Oceania |
| 14 | 🇸🇧Solomon Islands |
70.98 | 167 | Oceania |
| 15 | 🇳🇺Niue |
70.36 | 171 | Oceania |
| 16 | 🇵🇼Palau |
69.61 | 176 | Oceania |
| 17 | 🇫🇯Fiji |
67.77 | 190 | Oceania |
| 18 | 🇫🇲Micronesia |
67.65 | 191 | Oceania |
| 19 | 🇹🇻Tuvalu |
67.56 | 193 | Oceania |
| 20 | 🇲🇭Marshall Islands |
67.32 | 196 | Oceania |
| 21 | 🇰🇮Kiribati |
66.86 | 199 | Oceania |
| 22 | 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea |
66.5 | 203 | Oceania |
| 23 | 🇳🇷Nauru |
62.61 | 220 | Oceania |
Key Findings
Countries with Highest Life Expectancy in Oceania
- Australia (84.34) ranks first among Oceania countries, followed by New Zealand (82.52), Tonga (73.39), Samoa (72.08), and Vanuatu (72.02).
- Australia and New Zealand stand far above the rest of the region, supported by advanced healthcare systems, high living standards, and strong public health infrastructure.
Territories Dominate the Top of the Overall Ranking
- Several Oceania territories rank above most sovereign countries, including French Polynesia (84.44), New Caledonia (79.23), Northern Mariana Islands (79.22), and Wallis & Futuna (79.03).
- These territories often benefit from smaller populations and closer healthcare links to higher-income countries.
Australia and New Zealand Are in a Different Tier
- Australia (84.34) and New Zealand (82.52) are the only sovereign Oceania countries above 80 years in this dataset.
- The gap between New Zealand and the next-highest country, Tonga, is more than 9 years, showing how dominant the two largest developed countries are in regional health outcomes.
Lowest Life Expectancy in Oceania
- Nauru (62.61) has the lowest life expectancy in Oceania in this dataset, followed by Papua New Guinea (66.50), Kiribati (66.86), and Marshall Islands (67.32).
- Lower life expectancy in parts of Oceania is often linked to limited healthcare access, high rates of non-communicable disease, geographic isolation, and weaker health infrastructure.
Oceania Has a Very Large Longevity Gap
- Life expectancy ranges from 84.44 years in French Polynesia to 62.61 years in Nauru.
- This gap of nearly 22 years highlights major regional inequalities in healthcare quality, disease burden, income, and living conditions across the Pacific.
About Life Expectancy in Oceania
Life Expectancy in Oceania measures how long people are expected to live across Oceania countries and territories based on current mortality patterns. The data reflects differences in healthcare access, income levels, nutrition, public health systems, sanitation, and disease burden.
Oceania includes both high-income countries such as Australia and New Zealand and many small Pacific island nations with very different health outcomes. This creates one of the widest life expectancy gaps of any continent, making regional comparisons especially useful for understanding public health differences across the Pacific.
Definitions & Methodology
What is life expectancy in Oceania?
Life expectancy in Oceania shows the average number of years people are expected to live in Oceania countries and territories based on current mortality patterns.
How are the Oceania rankings calculated?
Countries and territories are ranked by Life Expectancy (Both Sexes), which represents the average expected lifespan at birth for the total population.
What does global rank mean?
Global rank shows where each Oceania country or territory stands in the worldwide life expectancy ranking. For example, Australia ranks 10th globally in this dataset, while French Polynesia ranks 8th overall.
What units are used?
All values are shown in years. A life expectancy value of 84.34 means the average expected lifespan is about 84.34 years.
Life Expectancy in Oceania FAQs
Which country has the highest life expectancy in Oceania?
Australia has the highest life expectancy among Oceania countries in 2026 at 84.34 years, followed by New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu.
Which territory ranks highest in Oceania?
French Polynesia ranks highest overall in the Oceania dataset with a life expectancy of 84.44 years, slightly above Australia.
Which country has the lowest life expectancy in Oceania?
Nauru has the lowest life expectancy in Oceania in this dataset at 62.61 years, followed by Papua New Guinea and Kiribati.
Why does life expectancy vary so much across Oceania?
Life expectancy varies across Oceania because the region includes both high-income countries with advanced healthcare and small island states facing geographic isolation, weaker health infrastructure, and higher disease burdens.
How is life expectancy in Oceania measured?
Life expectancy in Oceania is measured as the average number of years a newborn is expected to live if current age-specific mortality rates remain unchanged.