Period life tables show the mortality experience of people in a specific time period. These complement the cohort life tables which track the mortality experience of people born in each year from 1876.
National complete period life tables are produced every five years for Māori, non-Māori and total New Zealand male and female populations. The most recent complete period life tables are for 2005–07.
Abridged period life tables for the total New Zealand male and female populations provide an indication of the trends in life expectancy in the years between the construction of complete period life tables.
Subnational abridged period life tables are produced every five years for the male and female populations. They are available for all 16 regions and most territorial authority areas (where death and population numbers are sufficient to construct reliable life tables). The latest subnational abridged period life tables are for 2005–07.
Life tables are constructed from registrations of births and deaths and population estimates.