New Zealand Population
New Zealand had an estimated population of 5,324,700 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 124th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.06% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.65% a year.
New Zealand at a glance
How New Zealand's population is changing
New Zealand's population is growing: +0.65% a year, which works out to about +34,814 people per year, or +95 a day. Births (11.0 per 1,000) and deaths (7.1 per 1,000) alone would give +0.39% a year; net migration adds about 17,403 people a year (+0.33%). Roughly one in every 1,543 people on Earth lives in New Zealand.
Population of New Zealand since 1960
In 1960, New Zealand had 2,371,800 people. By 2025 that was 5,324,700 — 2.2× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 19%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,371,800 | — |
| 1970 | 2,810,700 | +18.5% |
| 1980 | 3,112,900 | +10.8% |
| 1990 | 3,329,800 | +7.0% |
| 2000 | 3,857,700 | +15.9% |
| 2010 | 4,350,700 | +12.8% |
| 2020 | 5,072,400 | +16.6% |
| 2025 | 5,324,700 | +5.0% |
New Zealand from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put New Zealand at about 200,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 5,251,897 in 2025 (26× 1800) and projects 5,812,289 for 2100 in its medium scenario.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 200,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 90,807 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 809,099 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 1,911,265 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 3,857,576 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 5,251,897 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 5,755,279 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 5,865,953 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 5,812,289 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in New Zealand
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 5,324,700. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 1,123,094 | UN urban centre | 21.09% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Manukau City | 362,000 | GeoNames settlement | 6.80% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Christchurch | 260,804 | UN urban centre | 4.90% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Hamilton | 166,249 | UN urban centre | 3.12% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Tauranga | 161,000 | GeoNames settlement | 3.02% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Wellington | 148,555 | UN urban centre | 2.79% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | New Plymouth | 90,100 | GeoNames settlement | 1.69% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Hastings | 88,300 | GeoNames settlement | 1.66% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Dunedin | 82,204 | UN urban centre | 1.54% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Napier | 66,400 | GeoNames settlement | 1.25% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How New Zealand compares
New Zealand has almost the same population as Mauritania (5,315,065).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #122 |  Slovakia | 5,413,813 | +2% | compare → |
| #123 |  Palestine | 5,413,596 | +2% | compare → |
| #125 |  Mauritania | 5,315,065 | −0% | compare → |
| #126 |  Costa Rica | 5,152,950 | −3% | compare → |
Compare New Zealand with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.
Explore around New Zealand
Nearest countries
New Zealand has no land border. Closest by distance:
New Caledonia 295,333 · 18.0× smaller · compare
Australia 27,614,411 · 5.2× the population · compare
Tonga 103,742 · 51.3× smaller · compare
Fiji 933,154 · 5.7× smaller · compare
In its region
New Zealand is the 17th most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 0.2% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Auckland, Manukau City, Christchurch, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, New Plymouth, Hastings — all New Zealand's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · New Zealand when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.