Health and Independence Report 2025

The Health and Independence Report 2025 provides an evidence-based overview of the health of New Zealanders and the performance of the health system. It is the Director-General of Health’s annual report on the state of public health in New Zealand.

The report brings together information from a range of data sources to track population health, changing health needs, and the delivery of health services across the country. It helps build a shared understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the health system and supports informed decision-making.

The 2025 report shows that New Zealand’s health system continues to support important gains in health outcomes, while responding to changing health needs. Population growth, an ageing population, increasing diversity, and a growing number of people living with long-term health conditions are changing the level and mix of demand for health services.

The report is organised into three main sections.

1. People of New Zealand – an overview of New Zealand’s population and how it is changing, including population growth, ageing, diversity, disability, and rural and urban population patterns. 
2. Population health – key measures of population health, including health status, leading causes of health loss, non-communicable and communicable diseases, determinants of health and wellbeing, and risk and protective factors. 
3. Delivery of health services – information on the delivery of health services, including primary care, hospital and specialist services, emergency care, experience of care, and the health workforce.

In addition, the new State of Public Health summary section provides an overview of the health of New Zealanders and the performance and pressures facing the health system, highlighting key trends, emerging challenges, opportunities, and health system responses.

The report primarily draws on data relating to 2025. Where 2025 data were not available at the time the report was prepared, the most recent available information has been used. It was developed with input from experts across the Ministry of Health and other health sector organisations.

Read the report

You can access the Health and Independence Report 2025 online, or download the PDF.

Health and Independence Report 2025: Online version

Indicator tables

Indicator tables that provide key data with additional breakdowns of the statistics are also available.