Total current population for New Zealand in 2025 is 5,310,695, a 0.77% increase from 2024.

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<li>Total population for New Zealand in 2024 was <strong>5,269,939</strong>, a <strong>0.9% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Total population for New Zealand in 2023 was <strong>5,223,100</strong>, a <strong>2.07% increase</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Total population for New Zealand in 2022 was <strong>5,117,200</strong>, a <strong>0.12% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

The total population of New Zealand was estimated at approximately 5.34 million people in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the total population has risen by around 2.23 million people since 1980. Between 2024 and 2030, the total population will rise by around 460 thousand people, continuing its consistent upward trajectory.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.

New Zealand NZ: Population: Growth data was reported at 2.123 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.099 % for 2016. New Zealand NZ: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.129 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.542 % in 1962 and a record low of -0.392 % in 1979. New Zealand NZ: Population: Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

The total population in New Zealand was estimated at 5.4 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - New Zealand Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Population, total in New Zealand was reported at 5338500 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. New Zealand - Population, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 1820, the islands of present-day New Zealand had a population of approximately 100,000 people. This figure would fall until the early 1840s, partly as a result of European diseases brought by colonizers, and a series of destructive inter-tribal wars among the Māori peoples. These conflicts were named the Musket Wars due to the European weapons whose introduction instigated the conflicts, and the wars saw the deaths of between 20,000 and 40,000 Māori, from 1807 to 1837. After falling to just 82 thousand in the 1840s, the population would begin to rise again in 1841 following the establishment of New Zealand as an official British colony, with a strong promotion of European settlement by British citizens sponsored by the Church of England. European migration to New Zealand was low in these early decades, but increased in the mid-19th century, particularly following the discovery of gold in New Zealand’s South Island in the 1860s. This growth would continue throughout the 1870s, in part the result of a strong promotion of mass migration from Britain by Premier Julius Vogel’s administration.

Early 20th century However, between 1881 and the 1920s, the New Zealand government heavily restricted Asiatic migration to the islands, resulting in a fall of population growth rate, which would remain until the Second World War. The country would experience a dip in population during the First World War, in which New Zealand would suffer approximately 18,000 military fatalities, and another 9,000 lost to the coinciding Spanish Flu epidemic. The population would stagnate again in the Second World War, which resulted in the death of almost 12,000 New Zealanders. In the years following the war, New Zealand would see a significant increase in population due to the mixture of a baby boom and a migrant spike from Europe and Asia, following a large demand for unskilled labor. Recent decades This increase continued for several decades, until international factors, such as the oil crises of 1973 and 1979, and the UK's accession to the European Economic Communities (which ended most of New Zealand's trade agreements with Britain; it's largest trade partner), greatly weakened New Zealand's economy in the 1970s. As a result, population growth stagnated during the 1970s, while economic problems persisted into the early 2000s. In contrast, the Great Recession of 2008 did not impact New Zealand as severely as most other developed nations, which allowed the economy to emerge as one of the fastest growing in the world, also leading to dropped unemployment levels and increased living standards. In 2020, with a population of almost five million people, New Zealand is regarded as one of the top countries in the world in terms of human development, quality of life and social freedoms.

New Zealand: Population growth, percent: The latest value from 2023 is 2.05 percent, an increase from 0.12 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 1.15 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for New Zealand from 1961 to 2023 is 1.2 percent. The minimum value, -0.39 percent, was reached in 1979 while the maximum of 2.54 percent was recorded in 1962.

New Zealand NZ: Population: Total data was reported at 4,793,900.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,693,200.000 Person for 2016. New Zealand NZ: Population: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 3,291,300.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,793,900.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 2,371,800.000 Person in 1960. New Zealand NZ: Population: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Sum; Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for New Zealand (POPTOTNZA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about New Zealand and population.

Population, male (% of total population) in New Zealand was reported at 49.69 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. New Zealand - Population, male (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

New Zealand NZ: Population: as % of Total: Male data was reported at 49.174 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 49.173 % for 2016. New Zealand NZ: Population: as % of Total: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 49.296 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 50.251 % in 1960 and a record low of 48.986 % in 2004. New Zealand NZ: Population: as % of Total: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population is the percentage of the population that is male. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

Population growth (annual %) in New Zealand was reported at 1.767 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. New Zealand - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

This statistic shows the median age of the population in New Zealand from 1950 to 2100. The median age is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older. It is a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population. In 2020, the median age of the New Zealand population was 36.5 years.

New Zealand NZ: Population: Total: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 3,111,839.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 3,059,011.000 Person for 2016. New Zealand NZ: Population: Total: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 2,158,564.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,111,839.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 1,386,969.000 Person in 1960. New Zealand NZ: Population: Total: Aged 15-64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population between the ages 15 to 64. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Sum;

Dataset contains ethnic group census usually resident population counts from the 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses, as well as the percentage change in the ethnic group population count between the 2013 and 2018 Censuses, and between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. Data is available by regional council.

The ethnic groups are:

• European
• Māori
• Pacific peoples
• Asian
• Middle Eastern/Latin American/African
• Other ethnicity.

Map shows percentage change in the census usually resident population count for ethnic groups between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses.

Download lookup file from Stats NZ ArcGIS Online or embedded attachment in Stats NZ geographic data service. Download data table (excluding the geometry column for CSV files) using the instructions in the Koordinates help guide.

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Footnotes

Geographical boundaries

Statistical standard for geographic areas 2023 (updated December 2023) has information about geographic boundaries as of 1 January 2023. Address data from 2013 and 2018 Censuses was updated to be consistent with the 2023 areas. Due to the changes in area boundaries and coding methodologies, 2013 and 2018 counts published in 2023 may be slightly different to those published in 2013 or 2018.

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Subnational census usually resident population

The census usually resident population count of an area (subnational count) is a count of all people who usually live in that area and were present in New Zealand on census night. It excludes visitors from overseas, visitors from elsewhere in New Zealand, and residents temporarily overseas on census night. For example, a person who usually lives in Christchurch city and is visiting Wellington city on census night will be included in the census usually resident population count of Christchurch city.

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Caution using time series

Time series data should be interpreted with care due to changes in census methodology and differences in response rates between censuses. The 2023 and 2018 Censuses used a combined census methodology (using census responses and administrative data), while the 2013 Census used a full-field enumeration methodology (with no use of administrative data).

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About the 2023 Census dataset

For information on the 2023 dataset see Using a combined census model for the 2023 Census. We combined data from the census forms with administrative data to create the 2023 Census dataset, which meets Stats NZ's quality criteria for population structure information. We added real data about real people to the dataset where we were confident the people who hadn’t completed a census form (which is known as admin enumeration) will be counted. We also used data from the 2018 and 2013 Censuses, administrative data sources, and statistical imputation methods to fill in some missing characteristics of people and dwellings.

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Data quality

The quality of data in the 2023 Census is assessed using the quality rating scale and the quality assurance framework to determine whether data is fit for purpose and suitable for release. Data quality assurance in the 2023 Census has more information.

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Quality rating of a variable

The quality rating of a variable provides an overall evaluation of data quality for that variable, usually at the highest levels of classification. The quality ratings shown are for the 2023 Census unless stated. There is variability in the quality of data at smaller geographies. Data quality may also vary between censuses, for subpopulations, or when cross tabulated with other variables or at lower levels of the classification. Data quality ratings for 2023 Census variables has more information on quality ratings by variable.

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Ethnicity concept quality rating

Ethnicity is rated as high quality.

Ethnicity – 2023 Census: Information by concept has more information, for example, definitions and data quality.

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Using data for good

Stats NZ expects that, when working with census data, it is done so with a positive purpose, as outlined in the Māori Data Governance Model (Data Iwi Leaders Group, 2023). This model states that "data should support transformative outcomes and should uplift and strengthen our relationships with each other and with our environments. The avoidance of harm is the minimum expectation for data use. Māori data should also contribute to iwi and hapū tino rangatiratanga”.

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Confidentiality

The 2023 Census confidentiality rules have been applied to 2013, 2018, and 2023 data. These rules protect the confidentiality of individuals, families, households, dwellings, and undertakings in 2023 Census data. Counts are calculated using fixed random rounding to base 3 (FRR3) and suppression of ‘sensitive’ counts less than six, where tables report multiple geographic variables and/or small populations. Individual figures may not always sum to stated totals. Applying confidentiality rules to 2023 Census data and summary of changes since 2018 and 2013 Censuses has more information about 2023 Census confidentiality rules.

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Symbol

-998 Not applicable

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Percentages

To calculate percentages, divide the figure for the category of interest by the figure for ‘Total stated’ where this applies.

Graph and download economic data for Population Ages 15 to 64 for New Zealand (SPPOP1564TOZSNZL) from 1960 to 2024 about New Zealand, 15 to 64 years, and population.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Working-Age Population Total: From 25 to 54 Years for New Zealand (LFWA25TTNZQ647N) from Q1 1986 to Q1 2025 about New Zealand, 25 to 54 years, working-age, and population.

This statistic shows the age structure in New Zealand from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, about 18.37 percent of New Zealand's total population were aged 0 to 14 years.

New Zealand NZ: International Migrant Stock: % of Population data was reported at 22.960 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 21.685 % for 2010. New Zealand NZ: International Migrant Stock: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 18.954 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2015, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 22.960 % in 2015 and a record low of 15.248 % in 1990. New Zealand NZ: International Migrant Stock: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. International migrant stock is the number of people born in a country other than that in which they live. It also includes refugees. The data used to estimate the international migrant stock at a particular time are obtained mainly from population censuses. The estimates are derived from the data on foreign-born population--people who have residence in one country but were born in another country. When data on the foreign-born population are not available, data on foreign population--that is, people who are citizens of a country other than the country in which they reside--are used as estimates. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 people living in one of the newly independent countries who were born in another were classified as international migrants. Estimates of migrant stock in the newly independent states from 1990 on are based on the 1989 census of the Soviet Union. For countries with information on the international migrant stock for at least two points in time, interpolation or extrapolation was used to estimate the international migrant stock on July 1 of the reference years. For countries with only one observation, estimates for the reference years were derived using rates of change in the migrant stock in the years preceding or following the single observation available. A model was used to estimate migrants for countries that had no data.; ; United Nations Population Division, Trends in Total Migrant Stock: 2008 Revision.; Weighted average;