Have you ever wondered how New Zealanders’ health really compares to that of people in other countries?
We might pride ourselves on being “clean and green” and having lots of opportunities to get active in the outdoors – but is that translating into better health outcomes for New Zealanders?
New data from the OECD sheds some light on the answers to that question.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is one of the areas where New Zealand is doing well by international standards, according to the OECD, outperforming its average on 81% of indicators.
New Zealanders have a life expectancy of 82.3 years, which the OECD said was two years longer than its average. Preventable mortality was 113 per 100,000, which is lower than the OECD average of 158. This refers to deaths that could be prevented through effective public health measures.
Treatable mortality – deaths that could be avoided with timely and effective interventions – was at 66 per 100,000 compared to an OECD average of 79. Just 2.1% of people said their health was bad or very bad compared to an average of 7.9% across the OECD.
Risk factors
We do better than the OECD average on 60% of “risk factor” indicators, too.
Smoking prevalence in New Zealand is now at 9.4%, which is significantly lower than the OECD average of 16%.
Alcohol consumption is close to the average but our obesity rate, at 34.3% of the population compared to an OECD average of 25.7%, is high. New Zealand records 6.3 deaths per 100,000 people from air pollution compared to an average of 28.9.
New Zealand is also performing more poorly by international standards when it comes to vaping but we are above the average for getting 150 minutes of physical activity a week.
Quality of care and access to it
Compared to OECD averages, we outperform on 71% of the indicators for quality of care.
Almost two thirds of women were screened for breast cancer, compared to 55% on average cross the OECD, the data showed.
The 30-day mortality rate after a stroke was 5.9% compared to an average 7.8%.
But when it comes to access to care, New Zealand only outperformed on 57% of indicators.
Everyone is covered for a core set of services, the OECD notes, but only 64% of people were satisfied with the availability of quality healthcare compared to an average across the OECD of 67%.
New Zealanders’ out-of-pocket spending, at 13% of health expenditure, was lower than the OECD average of 18%.
The OECD data showed New Zealand spent US$6061 per person on health, more than the OECD average of US $4986. That is equal to 11.2% of GDP, higher than the average of 9.2%. New Zealand has 3.5 practising doctors per 1000 people compared to an OECD average of 3.7 but 10.9 practising nurses, compared to an average of 9.2.
New Zealand has 2.7 hospital beds per 1000 people, less than the OECD average of 4.3.
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Disclaimer: Please note that the content provided in this article is intended as an overview and as general information only. While care is taken to ensure accuracy and reliability, the information provided is subject to continuous change and may not reflect current developments or address your situation. Before making any decisions based on the information provided in this article, please use your discretion and seek independent guidance.