Births and Deaths: December 2009 quarter

• Life expectancy at birth was 82.4 years for females and 78.4 years for males in 2007–09.
  
  
• The gap between male and female life expectancy has narrowed from 6.4 years in 1975–77 to 4.0 years in 2007–09.

In the December 2009 year:

• 62,540 live births were registered in New Zealand, down from 64,340 in the December 2008 year.
  
  
• 28,960 deaths were registered.
  
  
• Births exceeded deaths by 33,580.
  
  
• The total fertility rate was 2.1.