Country or area · Australia/New Zealand · Oceania · UN WPP 2024

New Zealand population

New Zealand population now

5,295,940

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 4.9–6.2 million.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 5,172,836

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 5.28747 million; 95% range, 31 Dec: 4.9–6.2 million
Median age: 39.0
Aged 65+: 18.0%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024 peak 2078

male female projection · one cell = 1,000 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

NZL · 1950–2100 · in brief

New Zealand in numbers

5,172,836 people lived in New Zealand in mid-2023: 0.06% of the world's people, and the 123rd-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports. That is 2.7 times its 1950 population of 1.9 million.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2078 at 5.9 million, then falling to 5.8 million by 2100. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 1.8 million to 14.2 million.

The medium projection has deaths passing births in 2047 and staying above them from then on. The population still grows until 2078, because more people arrive than leave.

The median age was 29.4 in 1950 and 38.3 in 2023; the projection has 48.5 in 2100. 16.8% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 31.1% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2046 at 3.5 million.

Among countries it ranks 123rd in 2023, 123rd in 2050 and 121st in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Slovakia in 2030, Finland in 2036 and Bulgaria in 2045. It is overtaken by the Central African Republic in 2024, Oman in 2024 and Mauritania in 2025.

Population, mid-2023: 5,172,836
Rank by population, 2023: 123 of 236
Share of the world, 2023: 0.06%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +0.80% · +41,101 people
People per km² of land, 2023: 20
Land area, 2023: 263,310 km²
Births, 2023: 59,236
Deaths, 2023: 37,686
Net migration, 2023: +21,404
Children per woman, 2023: 1.67
Median age, 2023: 38.3 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 82.1 years
In a city, 2025: 45 of every 100
Population, mid-1950: 1,911,263
Projected, mid-2050: 5,755,288
Projected, mid-2100: 5,812,294

NZL · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2078estimates | projections02.5 m5 m7.5 m10 m12.5 m15 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range 95% range medium projection. Every column stands for a single year, counted on 1 January, and the paper rules slice it into cells of equal size.

Show the numbers: New Zealand, 1950–2100

New Zealand: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	95% range	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	1,892,688		49,102	18,044	3.55	69.3
1951	estimate	1,929,838		49,902	18,726	3.60	69.1
1952	estimate	1,972,573		51,125	18,734	3.67	69.4
1953	estimate	2,022,922		51,460	18,186	3.65	70.2
1954	estimate	2,072,580		53,615	18,744	3.78	70.3
1955	estimate	2,117,702		55,221	19,054	3.88	70.5
1956	estimate	2,161,642		56,745	19,519	3.98	70.7
1957	estimate	2,208,043		57,879	20,653	4.03	70.3
1958	estimate	2,259,333		59,730	20,048	4.11	70.9
1959	estimate	2,310,656		61,531	20,922	4.18	70.8
1960	estimate	2,356,309		63,174	20,679	4.24	71.2
1961	estimate	2,402,652		65,034	21,536	4.31	70.9
1962	estimate	2,456,842		64,205	21,774	4.16	71.2
1963	estimate	2,511,968		64,185	22,116	4.05	71.3
1964	estimate	2,564,261		61,748	22,534	3.78	71.3
1965	estimate	2,613,278		59,840	22,657	3.54	71.2
1966	estimate	2,659,709		60,028	23,442	3.42	71.1
1967	estimate	2,705,456		60,972	22,764	3.35	71.4
1968	estimate	2,741,383		62,384	24,236	3.33	71.1
1969	estimate	2,767,668		62,492	23,832	3.27	71.5
1970	estimate	2,801,131		62,139	24,547	3.17	71.2
1971	estimate	2,843,224		64,421	24,087	3.18	71.7
1972	estimate	2,891,106		63,029	24,507	3.00	71.8
1973	estimate	2,947,409		59,871	24,977	2.74	71.7
1974	estimate	3,010,566		58,712	24,959	2.57	71.9
1975	estimate	3,071,896		55,946	24,873	2.36	72.2
1976	estimate	3,116,168		55,308	25,235	2.27	72.4
1977	estimate	3,137,097		54,574	25,800	2.21	72.1
1978	estimate	3,143,168		51,492	24,567	2.08	73.0
1979	estimate	3,141,319		52,499	25,245	2.11	73.0
1980	estimate	3,141,882		50,770	26,451	2.03	72.9
1981	estimate	3,150,772		50,806	25,068	2.01	73.6
1982	estimate	3,168,907		49,892	25,437	1.95	73.7
1983	estimate	3,201,339		50,296	25,884	1.92	73.8
1984	estimate	3,237,218		51,465	25,348	1.93	74.4
1985	estimate	3,262,438		52,040	27,388	1.93	73.9
1986	estimate	3,273,618		52,974	26,961	1.96	74.1
1987	estimate	3,289,398		55,143	27,424	2.03	74.2
1988	estimate	3,309,488		57,538	27,458	2.10	74.5
1989	estimate	3,322,564		58,356	27,012	2.12	74.9
1990	estimate	3,345,088		59,775	26,426	2.17	75.4
1991	estimate	3,448,869		59,103	26,157	2.09	76.1
1992	estimate	3,512,982		59,136	27,060	2.06	76.2
1993	estimate	3,551,507		58,574	27,013	2.04	76.5
1994	estimate	3,595,712		57,110	26,890	1.98	76.9
1995	estimate	3,646,349		57,193	27,776	1.98	76.8
1996	estimate	3,702,508		56,974	28,407	1.96	76.8
1997	estimate	3,756,249		57,088	27,720	1.96	77.3
1998	estimate	3,797,651		55,277	26,458	1.90	78.2
1999	estimate	3,825,091		56,866	28,300	1.97	77.9
2000	estimate	3,846,018		56,573	26,862	1.98	78.7
2001	estimate	3,869,130		55,577	28,094	1.96	78.7
2002	estimate	3,914,395		53,577	28,325	1.89	78.9
2003	estimate	3,987,842		55,356	28,335	1.93	79.1
2004	estimate	4,057,331		57,350	28,709	1.98	79.3
2005	estimate	4,110,490		57,243	27,420	1.96	80.0
2006	estimate	4,159,523		58,877	28,583	2.01	80.0
2007	estimate	4,204,357		63,621	28,853	2.17	80.1
2008	estimate	4,242,174		64,045	29,551	2.19	80.3
2009	estimate	4,281,474		62,332	29,369	2.13	80.5
2010	estimate	4,327,134		63,378	28,836	2.17	81.0
2011	estimate	4,368,407		61,336	30,551	2.10	80.8
2012	estimate	4,396,994		60,876	30,500	2.09	81.2
2013	estimate	4,426,359		58,405	29,807	2.00	81.6
2014	estimate	4,481,343		56,707	31,396	1.93	81.4
2015	estimate	4,564,623		59,854	31,901	1.98	81.6
2016	estimate	4,663,435		58,552	31,406	1.88	82.0
2017	estimate	4,766,105		58,574	33,633	1.81	81.6
2018	estimate	4,859,398		57,387	33,625	1.72	81.9
2019	estimate	4,942,296		58,824	34,379	1.72	81.8
2020	estimate	5,036,509		57,391	32,743	1.63	82.7
2021	estimate	5,103,281		58,853	35,080	1.65	82.3
2022	estimate	5,112,112		58,955	41,113	1.67	81.0
2023	estimate	5,151,357		59,236	37,686	1.67	82.1
2024	estimate	5,194,315		59,121	38,623	1.66	82.2
2025	projection	5,233,573	5.2–5.3 million	58,491	39,241	1.65	82.4
2026	projection	5,270,225	5.1–5.7 million	57,999	39,926	1.64	82.5
2027	projection	5,304,733	4.9–6.2 million	57,516	40,599	1.63	82.7
2028	projection	5,337,008	4.8–6.7 million	57,060	41,315	1.63	82.8
2029	projection	5,366,650	4.8–6.8 million	56,627	42,101	1.63	83.0
2030	projection	5,394,543	4.7–6.9 million	56,210	42,892	1.62	83.1
2031	projection	5,420,155	4.7–7.0 million	56,030	43,688	1.62	83.3
2032	projection	5,444,810	4.7–7.1 million	55,883	44,599	1.62	83.4
2033	projection	5,467,423	4.7–7.1 million	55,765	45,502	1.62	83.5
2034	projection	5,489,829	4.6–7.2 million	55,786	46,421	1.62	83.7
2035	projection	5,510,302	4.6–7.3 million	55,962	47,286	1.62	83.8
2036	projection	5,530,903	4.6–7.4 million	56,160	48,186	1.62	83.9
2037	projection	5,550,675	4.6–7.5 million	56,366	49,107	1.62	84.1
2038	projection	5,570,034	4.5–7.7 million	56,620	50,015	1.61	84.2
2039	projection	5,589,740	4.5–7.8 million	56,981	50,907	1.62	84.3
2040	projection	5,608,263	4.4–7.9 million	57,181	51,808	1.62	84.4
2041	projection	5,626,318	4.4–8.0 million	57,349	52,589	1.61	84.6
2042	projection	5,645,254	4.4–8.1 million	57,480	53,406	1.61	84.7
2043	projection	5,662,987	4.4–8.2 million	57,578	54,131	1.61	84.8
2044	projection	5,679,004	4.3–8.3 million	57,502	54,919	1.61	85.0
2045	projection	5,693,643	4.3–8.4 million	57,356	55,608	1.61	85.1
2046	projection	5,707,470	4.2–8.4 million	57,147	56,299	1.61	85.2
2047	projection	5,719,430	4.2–8.5 million	56,960	56,989	1.61	85.3
2048	projection	5,730,377	4.1–8.6 million	56,669	57,615	1.61	85.4
2049	projection	5,741,170	4.1–8.7 million	56,456	58,209	1.61	85.5
2050	projection	5,749,747	4.0–8.8 million	56,138	58,699	1.62	85.7
2051	projection	5,760,828	4.0–8.9 million	55,839	59,153	1.61	85.8
2052	projection	5,772,603	4.0–9.0 million	55,621	59,689	1.61	85.9
2053	projection	5,781,163	4.0–9.1 million	55,381	60,038	1.62	86.0
2054	projection	5,790,908	4.0–9.2 million	55,177	60,369	1.62	86.1
2055	projection	5,800,296	3.9–9.3 million	54,962	60,675	1.62	86.2
2056	projection	5,809,074	3.9–9.4 million	54,703	60,962	1.61	86.3
2057	projection	5,815,495	3.8–9.4 million	54,467	61,134	1.61	86.5
2058	projection	5,821,382	3.8–9.6 million	54,255	61,267	1.62	86.6
2059	projection	5,826,893	3.7–9.6 million	53,956	61,365	1.61	86.7
2060	projection	5,831,479	3.7–9.7 million	53,715	61,434	1.61	86.8
2061	projection	5,834,924	3.7–9.8 million	53,533	61,447	1.61	86.9
2062	projection	5,836,139	3.6–10.0 million	53,387	61,443	1.61	87.0
2063	projection	5,840,140	3.5–10.0 million	53,262	61,496	1.61	87.1
2064	projection	5,842,046	3.5–10.1 million	53,151	61,423	1.61	87.2
2065	projection	5,845,511	3.4–10.2 million	53,046	61,417	1.61	87.3
2066	projection	5,849,599	3.4–10.5 million	53,016	61,436	1.61	87.5
2067	projection	5,853,429	3.4–10.6 million	52,975	61,472	1.61	87.6
2068	projection	5,855,865	3.3–10.7 million	53,024	61,491	1.62	87.7
2069	projection	5,857,470	3.3–10.8 million	52,988	61,623	1.62	87.8
2070	projection	5,858,707	3.3–10.7 million	52,965	61,802	1.62	87.9
2071	projection	5,859,377	3.2–10.9 million	52,890	62,054	1.61	88.0
2072	projection	5,859,431	3.2–11.0 million	52,847	62,309	1.61	88.1
2073	projection	5,863,320	3.1–11.2 million	52,946	62,634	1.62	88.2
2074	projection	5,864,624	3.1–11.3 million	52,943	63,136	1.62	88.3
2075	projection	5,865,755	3.0–11.4 million	52,893	63,568	1.61	88.4
2076	projection	5,866,149	3.0–11.5 million	52,898	63,986	1.62	88.5
2077	projection	5,866,560	2.9–11.5 million	52,843	64,544	1.62	88.6
2078	projection	5,867,664	2.9–11.6 million	52,809	65,031	1.62	88.7
2079	projection	5,867,077	2.8–11.6 million	52,679	65,492	1.61	88.8
2080	projection	5,865,850	2.8–11.8 million	52,644	65,967	1.62	88.9
2081	projection	5,863,325	2.7–11.9 million	52,560	66,309	1.62	89.0
2082	projection	5,861,784	2.7–12.0 million	52,390	66,627	1.62	89.1
2083	projection	5,858,513	2.6–12.1 million	52,320	66,731	1.62	89.2
2084	projection	5,854,094	2.6–12.2 million	52,081	66,738	1.62	89.3
2085	projection	5,850,322	2.5–12.3 million	51,959	66,694	1.62	89.4
2086	projection	5,846,854	2.4–12.4 million	51,777	66,507	1.62	89.5
2087	projection	5,843,751	2.4–12.5 million	51,631	66,243	1.62	89.7
2088	projection	5,840,852	2.3–12.5 million	51,495	65,867	1.62	89.8
2089	projection	5,840,101	2.3–12.8 million	51,342	65,481	1.62	89.9
2090	projection	5,837,037	2.3–13.0 million	51,197	65,141	1.62	90.0
2091	projection	5,835,969	2.2–13.3 million	51,117	64,836	1.62	90.1
2092	projection	5,834,417	2.2–13.4 million	50,968	64,594	1.62	90.2
2093	projection	5,834,141	2.1–13.6 million	50,906	64,339	1.62	90.3
2094	projection	5,831,566	2.1–13.6 million	50,807	64,249	1.63	90.4
2095	projection	5,830,254	2.1–13.8 million	50,773	64,270	1.63	90.5
2096	projection	5,828,348	2.0–13.9 million	50,722	64,437	1.63	90.6
2097	projection	5,825,751	2.0–13.9 million	50,581	64,633	1.63	90.7
2098	projection	5,822,748	1.9–13.9 million	50,460	64,873	1.62	90.8
2099	projection	5,818,745	1.9–14.1 million	50,371	65,147	1.62	90.9
2100	projection	5,814,526	1.8–14.2 million	50,336	65,406	1.63	91.0

Show the numbers: New Zealand, mid-2026, by single year of age

New Zealand: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	30,024	28,462
1	30,505	28,899
2	30,841	29,220
3	30,890	29,278
4	30,717	29,145
5	30,925	29,406
6	31,204	29,656
7	31,348	29,658
8	31,819	30,147
9	32,358	30,724
10	32,867	31,009
11	33,231	31,210
12	33,578	31,664
13	34,020	32,385
14	34,460	32,904
15	34,904	33,195
16	35,296	33,323
17	35,500	33,359
18	35,538	33,564
19	35,176	33,423
20	34,530	32,976
21	34,307	32,878
22	34,521	32,933
23	34,566	32,851
24	34,667	32,983
25	35,208	33,300
26	35,404	33,206
27	35,248	32,922
28	35,524	33,147
29	36,204	33,738
30	37,075	34,440
31	37,694	35,287
32	38,335	36,396
33	39,425	37,794
34	40,275	39,062
35	40,406	39,760
36	39,680	39,533
37	38,468	38,793
38	37,400	37,848
39	36,267	36,532
40	35,031	35,550
41	34,200	35,059
42	33,806	34,523
43	33,400	33,919
44	32,757	33,212
45	32,097	32,483
46	31,478	31,982
47	30,728	31,466
48	30,102	30,900
49	29,967	30,616
50	30,106	30,804
51	30,519	31,679
52	31,342	32,772
53	32,323	33,696
54	32,958	34,532
55	32,860	34,628
56	32,354	33,976
57	31,817	33,474
58	31,127	32,959
59	30,462	32,280
60	30,239	31,949
61	30,446	32,233
62	30,791	32,928
63	30,890	33,320
64	30,452	32,960
65	29,567	31,995
66	28,656	30,840
67	27,695	29,830
68	26,572	28,798
69	25,585	27,742
70	24,724	26,850
71	23,813	25,941
72	22,840	24,876
73	21,874	23,815
74	20,999	22,838
75	20,183	21,976
76	19,398	21,223
77	18,669	20,548
78	17,964	20,028
79	16,596	18,760
80	14,406	16,514
81	12,590	14,603
82	11,138	13,075
83	9,924	11,996
84	9,285	11,640
85	8,432	10,894
86	7,132	9,468
87	5,892	8,060
88	4,858	6,857
89	3,982	5,773
90	3,240	4,798
91	2,622	3,971
92	2,088	3,283
93	1,630	2,686
94	1,262	2,172
95	954	1,718
96	685	1,284
97	464	908
98	304	621
99	192	418
100+	260	632

NZL · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

New Zealand, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

NZL · ages 15–64

Who does the work in New Zealand

On the UN's projection, New Zealand will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2046: 3,504,210 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 3,353,380.

100 aged 15–64

28 children

26 aged 65+

aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over

How to read this: take 100 people of working age — the orange row — and the two rows under it are the children (teal) and the people of 65 and over (violet) who lived alongside them in 2023.

At no point between 1950 and 2100 do fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 here.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more

How to read this: 1950 on the left, 2100 on the right; coloured in the years with fewer than 50 dependants per 100 working-age people, grey in the rest, hatched where that is a projection.

How every country compares

NZL · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in New Zealand, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 New Zealand gains 15,279 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 20–24, at 3,343 a year more arriving than leaving.

one square = 500 people a year

020406080+

more arrive than leave more leave than arrive

How to read this: age runs left to right, babies to 100. A blue square above the line means arrivals outnumber departures at that age, an orange square below it means the opposite. The figures are the UN's projection for 2020–2025; nobody recorded migration by age before 2020.

In the years that were counted, 1950–2023, the most it gained in one year was 75,512 (2016) and the most it lost was 28,783 (1978).

In 2024, 1,467,989 people living in New Zealand had been born in another country, 28 of every 100 people there, against 16 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

NZL · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in New Zealand

Of every 100 babies born in New Zealand in 2023, 3 had a mother under 20, 74 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 23 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 5 under 20 and 15 aged 35 or older.

1950
5 · 80 · 15

2023
3 · 74 · 23

2050 · projected
1 · 70 · 29

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: one block a year, 100 squares in each, a square for every hundredth baby. The colour is the mother's age group, and the three numbers underneath are those groups in order, youngest first.

Babies born, 2023: 59,236
Average age when women have a baby: 30.6 years; 28.4 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 11; 37 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in New Zealand by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	23	374	30	12	4	3
15–19	2,376	7,741	3,838	1,711	573	456
20–24	13,556	19,685	9,854	7,725	5,429	4,739
25–29	15,844	18,684	15,657	15,064	14,388	13,325
30–34	10,148	6,796	17,217	20,845	19,750	17,966
35–39	5,427	2,094	8,377	11,411	12,619	10,870
40–44	1,627	516	1,537	2,317	3,103	2,701
45–49	101	56	63	151	272	276
50–54	0	0	0	0	0	0
All babies	49,102	55,946	56,573	59,236	56,138	50,336

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

NZL · healthy years · 2021

Years in good health in New Zealand

A baby born in New Zealand in 2021 could expect 82.2 years of life, 70.0 of them in full health (95% range 69.3–70.9). The years in less than full health come to 12.2, above the world's 9.5.

Women

70.3 in full health, 13.7 not: 84.0 years

Men

69.6 in full health, 10.8 not: 80.4 years

a year in full health a year in less than full health

How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.

Women: 70.3 healthy years of 84.0. Men: 69.6 of 80.4.

NZL · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in New Zealand

At the end of 2025, New Zealand was hosting 6,732 people who had crossed a border into it, about 1 of every 1,000 people living there.

hosted from abroad6,732
New Zealand nationals abroad101

stayed inside their own country crossed a border

How to read this: each square is 200 people, so the rows can be compared with one another. The last row is people from New Zealand living in another country, wherever they are.

In 2025, 2,058 people asked for asylum in New Zealand for the first time; 27 people from New Zealand asked for asylum in another country. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it

How the world's displacement is counted

NZL · of every 100 people

How people live in New Zealand

Of every 100 people in New Zealand in 2025, 45 lived in a city, 31 in a town or suburb and 24 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

Nearly everyone has electricity at home (2024). 6.5 of every 100 do not use the internet (2024).

How to read this: everyone here, shrunk to 100 squares, with the colour saying whether that hundredth person lives in a city, a town or the countryside. Every country is measured by the same rule.

How the world's people live

NZL · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in New Zealand went in school

Of every 100 adults in New Zealand in 2020, 1 never went to school and 82 finished upper secondary or went further.

1 never went to school 8 finished primary 9 finished lower secondary 35 finished upper secondary 47 studied after school

Its people aged 15 to 64 are projected to be most numerous in 2045; the ones who finished upper secondary are most numerous later, in 2070.

How to read this: the row is the adults (25 and over) shrunk to 100 people, coloured by how far each went in school, least schooling on the left. The Wittgenstein Centre's count, 2020.

How far the world's people went in school

NZL · cities · 2025

Cities in New Zealand

New Zealand had 10 cities in 2025, home to 2.4 million people. The largest, Auckland, holds 21 of every 100 people in New Zealand.

Auckland1,123,094
Glenfield275,322
Christchurch260,804
Hamilton166,249
Papakura154,112
Wellington148,555
Dunedin82,204
Otūmoetai62,796
Palmerston North60,992
Lower Hutt54,560

How to read this: the 10 largest cities in 2025, bars on one scale. A city is the whole built-up area on the UN's rule, not the city's own boundary.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for New Zealand are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.