Do women pay less for life insurance in New Zealand? The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026
Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.
Yes. At every one of the 108 age, cover amount and smoking-status combinations The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026 measures across New Zealand's insurance market, the cheapest priced life insurance quote for a woman is lower than for a man of the same age. At $500,000 of non-smoker cover, a 25-year-old man's cheapest quote runs 65.3 percent above a woman's at the same age, narrowing to 14.4 percent by 40 (see the methodology for how the panel is built).
New Zealand law allows life insurers to price by sex where the difference is based on actuarial or statistical data relating to life expectancy, under section 48 of the Human Rights Act 1993. This page prices $250,000, $500,000 and $1,000,000 of life cover for men against women across AIA New Zealand, Asteron Life, Chubb Life, Fidelity Life and Partners Life, part of the wider QuoteHub Premium Index (Momentum Life is not priced at these cover amounts; see our life insurance cost page for why). For the equivalent smoker comparison, see our smoker page, and for the products themselves, our life insurance hub.
The gender gap by cover amount
| Age | Male | Female | $ gap | % gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $25.56 | $19.32 | $6.24 | 32.3% |
| 30 | $22.06 | $19.13 | $2.93 | 15.3% |
| 35 | $21.67 | $18.17 | $3.50 | 19.3% |
| 40 | $25.95 | $23.61 | $2.34 | 9.9% |
| 45 | $36.23 | $31.39 | $4.84 | 15.4% |
| 50 | $57.34 | $49.29 | $8.05 | 16.3% |
| 55 | $97.58 | $79.62 | $17.96 | 22.6% |
| 60 | $179.51 | $132.91 | $46.60 | 35.1% |
| 65 | $354.97 | $239.87 | $115.10 | 48.0% |
At $250,000 of cover, The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026 shows the gap narrowest at 40, where a man's cheapest quote runs 9.9 percent above a woman's, and widest at 65, at 48.0 percent. A 25-year-old man's cheapest quote is $25.56 a month against $19.32 for a woman, a difference of $6.24.
Do women pay less for life insurance in NZ?
Yes, at every age, cover amount and smoking status this Index measures. At $250,000 of non-smoker cover, the gap runs from 9.9 percent more for a man at 40 to 48.0 percent more at 65; the pattern holds at $500,000 and $1,000,000 of cover too, detailed in the tables below.
| Age | Male | Female | $ gap | % gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $40.82 | $24.70 | $16.12 | 65.3% |
| 30 | $34.51 | $23.30 | $11.21 | 48.1% |
| 35 | $33.81 | $27.50 | $6.31 | 22.9% |
| 40 | $41.50 | $36.29 | $5.21 | 14.4% |
| 45 | $59.88 | $50.40 | $9.48 | 18.8% |
| 50 | $98.02 | $81.50 | $16.52 | 20.3% |
| 55 | $170.44 | $137.49 | $32.95 | 24.0% |
| 60 | $317.07 | $234.03 | $83.04 | 35.5% |
| 65 | $630.52 | $406.51 | $224.01 | 55.1% |
At $500,000 of cover, a 25-year-old man's cheapest non-smoker quote in The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026 is $40.82 a month against $24.70 for a woman, 65.3 percent more, narrowing to 14.4 percent by 40 before widening again to 55.1 percent by 65, where a man's cheapest quote is $630.52 against $406.51.
How much does a 25-year-old woman pay for $500,000 of life cover in NZ?
The cheapest priced quote for a 25-year-old non-smoking woman with $500,000 of cover in The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026 is $24.70 a month, with Fidelity Life. That is $16.12 a month less than the cheapest quote for a 25-year-old man at the same cover amount.
| Age | Male | Female | $ gap | % gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $66.50 | $39.87 | $26.63 | 66.8% |
| 30 | $57.84 | $37.30 | $20.54 | 55.1% |
| 35 | $55.13 | $44.58 | $10.55 | 23.7% |
| 40 | $70.02 | $59.72 | $10.30 | 17.2% |
| 45 | $102.79 | $85.48 | $17.31 | 20.3% |
| 50 | $172.99 | $142.27 | $30.72 | 21.6% |
| 55 | $307.06 | $244.52 | $62.54 | 25.6% |
| 60 | $572.44 | $423.65 | $148.79 | 35.1% |
| 65 | $1,144.83 | $735.78 | $409.05 | 55.6% |
At $1,000,000 of cover, The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026 shows the gap running from 17.2 percent at 40 to 66.8 percent at 25, the widest of any age and cover amount this page measures at this cover level. By 65, a man's cheapest quote is $1,144.83 against $735.78 for a woman, 55.6 percent more.
How much does a 65-year-old woman pay for $500,000 of life cover in NZ?
The cheapest priced quote for a 65-year-old non-smoking woman with $500,000 of cover in The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026 is $406.51 a month, with AIA. A man of the same age pays $630.52 for the same cover, 55.1 percent more.
Does the gap hold for smokers too
| Age | AIA | Asteron Life | Chubb Life | Fidelity Life | Momentum Life | Partners Life | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $67.73 | $69.56 | $75.33 | $66.01 | —† | $71.06 | $66.01 |
| 30 | $62.32 | $69.56 | $70.03 | $59.02 | —† | $67.52 | $59.02 |
| 35 | $67.86 | $74.81 | $78.17 | $68.81 | —† | $71.82 | $67.86 |
| 40 | $92.69 | $102.38 | $104.05 | $95.42 | —† | $99.27 | $92.69 |
| 45 | $137.55 | $156.19 | $158.31 | $146.53 | —† | $154.03 | $137.55 |
| 50 | $220.09 | $251.12 | $256.13 | $233.34 | —† | $243.88 | $220.09 |
| 55 | $382.99 | $426.13 | $434.04 | $404.87 | —† | $428.35 | $382.99 |
| 60 | $712.47 | $783.56 | $790.00 | $681.43 | —† | $777.20 | $681.43 |
| 65 | $1,285.35 | $1,403.06 | $1,421.85 | $1,117.60 | —† | $1,320.73 | $1,117.60 |
| Age | AIA | Asteron Life | Chubb Life | Fidelity Life | Momentum Life | Partners Life | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $40.47 | $40.69 | $42.13 | $36.61 | —† | $42.48 | $36.61 |
| 30 | $40.62 | $42.00 | $43.35 | $36.61 | —† | $41.42 | $36.61 |
| 35 | $47.97 | $52.06 | $54.48 | $45.01 | —† | $50.62 | $45.01 |
| 40 | $67.68 | $74.38 | $77.99 | $66.01 | —† | $73.56 | $66.01 |
| 45 | $98.57 | $112.87 | $117.70 | $102.42 | —† | $111.82 | $98.57 |
| 50 | $159.25 | $181.56 | $185.06 | $168.23 | —† | $188.80 | $159.25 |
| 55 | $266.08 | $298.81 | $309.77 | $280.25 | —† | $310.54 | $266.08 |
| 60 | $443.45 | $486.06 | $512.14 | $441.27 | —† | $514.05 | $441.27 |
| 65 | $728.07 | $827.31 | $845.48 | $650.62 | —† | $788.98 | $650.62 |
† Momentum Life prices Life cover at $250,000 only; see the note above.
Yes, but it narrows. At $500,000 of cover, The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026 shows a 25-year-old male smoker's cheapest quote at $66.01 a month against $36.61 for a female smoker at the same age, a gap of 80.3 percent, wider than the 65.3 percent gap between non-smokers at the same age. By 40, the smoker gap is 40.4 percent, still wider than the 14.4 percent non-smoker gap at the same age.
Do female smokers pay less than male smokers?
Yes, at every age and cover amount this Index measures. The dollar gap between male and female smokers is larger than the gap between male and female non-smokers at the same age, because smoking itself is a bigger cost multiplier for men in this panel: a 40-year-old male smoker's multiple over a non-smoker is 2.23 times, against 1.82 times for a woman.
Which cover amount for a man, side by side with a woman
| Cover | AIA | Asteron Life | Chubb Life | Fidelity Life | Momentum Life | Partners Life | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $29.61 | $28.22 | $29.51 | $25.95 | $64.08 | $29.49 | $25.95 |
| $500,000 | $41.93 | $45.94 | $45.72 | $41.50 | —† | $45.08 | $41.50 |
| $1,000,000 | $70.02 | $72.63 | $77.10 | $70.67 | —† | $72.93 | $70.02 |
† Momentum Life prices Life cover at $250,000 only; see the note above.
A 40-year-old non-smoking man's cheapest priced quote in The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026 moves from $25.95 a month at $250,000 of cover to $70.02 at $1,000,000. The equivalent woman's figures, $23.61 to $59.72 across the same three cover amounts, sit consistently below the man's at every step; our life insurance cost page has the full by-cover breakdown for both, and our life insurance calculator helps size which of these three amounts fits your own situation.
Which insurer has the widest and narrowest gap
| Age | $250,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $25.56 | $40.82 | $69.41 |
| 30 | $22.06 | $34.51 | $57.84 |
| 35 | $21.67 | $33.81 | $56.57 |
| 40 | $25.95 | $41.50 | $70.67 |
| 45 | $36.23 | $60.02 | $104.62 |
| 50 | $57.34 | $98.02 | $174.28 |
| 55 | $97.58 | $170.44 | $307.06 |
| 60 | $179.51 | $317.91 | $577.42 |
| 65 | $354.97 | $633.75 | $1,156.47 |
Fidelity Life's own rate chart above spans every age and cover amount this Index prices. Comparing Fidelity Life's own male and female columns underneath that chart against the other four fully underwritten insurers at $500,000 of cover and age 40, Fidelity Life has the narrowest gender gap in the panel at 11.2 percent, and Asteron Life the widest at 20.7 percent; by 65, Fidelity Life is again narrowest at 48.6 percent and AIA widest at 55.1 percent. No single insurer holds the narrowest or widest gap at every age, so these figures describe this snapshot, not a permanent ranking.
Which insurer has the widest gap between male and female pricing?
At $500,000 of cover and age 40, Asteron Life prices its own men's quote 20.7 percent above its own women's quote, the widest of the five insurers pricing this cell in The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026. At 65, AIA is widest at 55.1 percent instead, so the ranking is not fixed by insurer alone.
Which insurer has the narrowest gap between male and female pricing?
Fidelity Life has the narrowest gender gap in the panel at both age bands checked, 11.2 percent at 40 and 48.6 percent at 65, for $500,000 of non-smoker cover in The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026. That does not make Fidelity Life the cheapest for either sex outright; see the by-age tables above for the actual dollar figures.
Why New Zealand still prices life cover by sex
Is it legal for NZ insurers to charge men and women different life insurance prices?
Yes. Section 48 of the Human Rights Act 1993 makes it lawful for an insurer to offer life insurance "on different terms or conditions for each sex" where the difference is based on actuarial or statistical data relating to life expectancy that it is reasonable to rely on, and where the different treatment is reasonable having regard to that data. This is a specific statutory exception to the Act's general ban on sex discrimination in the provision of services.
Why do men have a shorter life expectancy than women in NZ?
New Zealand life expectancy at birth was 80.1 years for males and 83.5 years for females, based on death rates in 2022 to 2024 (Stats NZ: National and subnational period life tables, 2022–2024, retrieved 8 September 2026), a gap of 3.4 years that insurers cite as the actuarial basis for pricing life cover by sex. Stats NZ does not publish the specific cause breakdown behind that gap on this release; the difference reflects mortality rates at every age, not one single cause.
Why do women pay less for life insurance in NZ?
Insurers price a life policy on the statistical likelihood of a claim during the period covered, and New Zealand mortality data shows women living longer than men on average at every age band measured, so a woman's premium for the same sum insured and term reflects a lower average claim probability. The legal basis is the actuarial-data exception in section 48 of the Human Rights Act 1993, not a general policy choice by any one insurer.
Will the gender pricing gap ever be banned in New Zealand?
Not published. Some other jurisdictions, including the European Union, have moved to unisex insurance pricing, but no current New Zealand government proposal to repeal or amend section 48 of the Human Rights Act 1993 is publicly documented at the time of writing; the exception remains in force across every insurer in this panel.
Frequently asked questions about the gender gap in NZ life insurance
Is the gender gap the same at every cover amount?
No. At age 40, non-smoker, the gap runs from 9.9 percent at $250,000 of cover to 17.2 percent at $1,000,000; at age 65 it runs from 48.0 percent to 55.6 percent across the same three cover amounts. The direction is always the same, a man's cheapest quote is always higher, but the size of the gap moves with both age and cover amount.
What is the actual dollar saving for a woman versus a man?
It depends on age and cover: in the QuoteHub Premium Index, at $500,000 of non-smoker cover, the saving is $16.12 a month at 25, narrows to $5.21 at 40, then widens to $224.01 a month by 65, because the underlying premium itself is far larger at 65 even though the percentage gap is similar to age 25. Use the by-age tables above for your own age and cover amount.
Does income protection or trauma cover also cost less for women?
This Index does not price a full gender comparison for income protection or trauma cover the way it does for life cover; the panel for those products is narrower this cycle. See our income protection, trauma insurance and TPD insurance pages for what is priced so far, and do not assume the life cover pattern carries across automatically, since trauma and TPD claims are driven by different underlying conditions.
Does the gap apply to guaranteed-acceptance cover like Momentum Life's Quick Life?
Momentum Life's Quick Life is priced in this Index only at $250,000 of cover, where it appears in the same gender-gap table above alongside the five fully underwritten insurers; its own guaranteed-acceptance pricing still differs by sex within that table. See our life insurance cost page for the full detail on why Momentum Life appears only at this cover level.
Is life insurance worth it for women in NZ?
The same test applies regardless of sex: if someone, a partner, children or a lender, would be financially worse off without your income, cover is worth pricing against that risk. Because the cost shown throughout this Index is lower for women at every age this page measures, the case is, if anything, stronger on price alone; our how life insurance works guide, our guides to life insurance in your 20s and life insurance in your 40s, and a conversation with a licensed adviser are the next steps.
About this data
Figures on this page are drawn from The QuoteHub Premium Index, a live rate-card study run through Quotemonster (QPR) on the QuoteHub adviser account, current at 8 September 2026 and restated quarterly. Premiums shown are monthly, stepped, occupation class 1, standard rates, with no loadings or exclusions applied. Your own premium will depend on underwriting. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name. Full method, panel and cadence: our methodology page. For the size of cover you need before you compare its price, see our life insurance calculator, and for the wider insurer panel, our life insurance companies directory.
Adviser's view
QuoteHub's read is that the size of the gap between what men and women pay for life cover, not just its direction, is the useful number here: it narrows from the mid-teens into the sixties before widening again, rather than staying constant, which a single women pay less headline would hide. See the age-by-age table for your own bracket.
Compare life cover with a licensed NZ adviser · free, no obligation.
Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Do Women Pay Less for Life Insurance in NZ? Sep 2026. www.quotehub.co.nz/quotes/life-insurance/men-vs-women. Updated 2026-09-09.
References
- Human Rights Act 1993, section 48: Exception in relation to insurance
- Stats NZ: National and subnational period life tables, 2022–2024
- Quotemonster (QPR)
Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Calculators.