PopulationTracker

New Zealand population

Current population of New Zealand

5,363,132

Live estimate, extrapolated from the latest official figures

Births today
33
Deaths today
21
Change today (UTC)
+19
World rank
125th of 218
0.06% of world population
Population
5,324,700
2025 estimate
Annual growth
+0.65%
2025
Density
20 /km²
2023
Land area
263,310 km²
Urban population
84%
2025
Median age
37.7 yrs
2025 (UN WPP)
Fertility rate
1.57
births per woman, 2024
Life expectancy
82.0 yrs
2024
Net migration
+17,403
2025
Capital
Wellington
Region
East Asia & Pacific

Population of New Zealand: overview

New Zealand has a population of 5,324,700 according to the latest official estimates (2025), the 125th largest in the world. New Zealand is part of the East Asia & Pacific region and its capital is Wellington.

Growth has slowed to 0.65% per year. In absolute terms that meant roughly 34,700 additional people over the past year. Immigration reinforces the trend: net migration added about 17,403 people in 2025.

The country is sparsely settled, with only about 20 people per km², spread across 263,310 km² of land. Most residents — 84% — live in urban areas.

The population is maturing, with a median age of 37.7 years. Fertility is well below replacement, at 1.57 children per woman. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years (2024).

UN medium-variant projections point to continued growth, reaching 5.76 million by 2050 (8% above today's level). The 2030 projection is 5,407,349.

New Zealand population, 1960–2025 and projections

01.5M3M4.5M6M19601980200020202040projected2025: 5.32M1960: 2,371,8001961: 2,419,7001962: 2,482,0001963: 2,531,8001964: 2,585,4001965: 2,628,4001966: 2,675,9001967: 2,724,1001968: 2,748,1001969: 2,772,8001970: 2,810,7001971: 2,853,0001972: 2,903,9001973: 2,961,3001974: 3,023,7001975: 3,083,1001976: 3,110,5001977: 3,120,2001978: 3,121,2001979: 3,109,0001980: 3,112,9001981: 3,124,9001982: 3,156,1001983: 3,199,3001984: 3,227,1001985: 3,247,1001986: 3,246,3001987: 3,274,4001988: 3,283,4001989: 3,299,2001990: 3,329,8001991: 3,495,1001992: 3,531,7001993: 3,572,2001994: 3,620,0001995: 3,673,4001996: 3,732,0001997: 3,781,3001998: 3,815,0001999: 3,835,1002000: 3,857,7002001: 3,880,5002002: 3,948,5002003: 4,027,2002004: 4,087,5002005: 4,133,9002006: 4,184,6002007: 4,223,8002008: 4,259,8002009: 4,302,6002010: 4,350,7002011: 4,384,0002012: 4,408,1002013: 4,442,1002014: 4,516,5002015: 4,609,4002016: 4,714,1002017: 4,813,6002018: 4,900,6002019: 4,970,3002020: 5,072,4002021: 5,084,6002022: 5,081,7002023: 5,200,0002024: 5,290,0002025: 5,324,7002030: 5,407,3492050: 5,755,288
Population of New Zealand by year
YearPopulationGrowth rateAnnual change
20255,324,700+0.65%+34,700
20245,290,000+1.72%+90,000
20235,200,000+2.30%+118,300
20225,081,700−0.06%−2,900
20215,084,600+0.24%+12,200
20205,072,400+2.03%+102,100
20194,970,300+1.41%+69,700
20184,900,600+1.79%+87,000
20174,813,600+2.09%+99,500
20164,714,100+2.25%+104,700
20154,609,400+2.04%+92,900
20144,516,500+1.66%+74,400
20104,350,700+1.11%+48,100
20054,133,900+1.13%+46,400
20003,857,700+0.59%+22,600
19953,673,400+1.46%+53,400
19903,329,800+0.92%+30,600
19853,247,100+0.62%+20,000
19803,112,900+0.13%+3,900
19753,083,100+1.95%+59,400
19702,810,700+1.36%+37,900
19652,628,400+1.65%+43,000
19602,371,800––

Recent years annually, earlier years at five-year steps. Annual change compares against the immediately preceding year.

New Zealand population forecast

United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant.

Projected population of New Zealand
YearProjected populationvs today
20305,407,349+1.6%
20505,755,288+8.1%

New Zealand population pyramid (2025)

Age and sex structure from UN World Population Prospects 2024: 17.9% of New Zealand's population is under 15, 64.5% is of working age (15–64), and 17.6% is 65 or older. Hover any bar for the group's size.

MaleFemale
0%1%1%2%2%3%3%4%4%0-4 male: 153,042 (2.9%)0-4 female: 145,274 (2.8%)0-45-9 male: 159,030 (3.0%)5-9 female: 150,736 (2.9%)10-14 male: 169,795 (3.2%)10-14 female: 161,033 (3.1%)10-1415-19 male: 173,804 (3.3%)15-19 female: 164,456 (3.1%)20-24 male: 170,344 (3.2%)20-24 female: 162,184 (3.1%)20-2425-29 male: 178,913 (3.4%)25-29 female: 167,173 (3.2%)30-34 male: 196,131 (3.7%)30-34 female: 188,456 (3.6%)30-3435-39 male: 186,902 (3.6%)35-39 female: 188,395 (3.6%)40-44 male: 166,365 (3.2%)40-44 female: 169,321 (3.2%)40-4445-49 male: 152,576 (2.9%)45-49 female: 155,946 (3.0%)50-54 male: 160,410 (3.1%)50-54 female: 167,630 (3.2%)50-5455-59 male: 156,669 (3.0%)55-59 female: 165,115 (3.1%)60-64 male: 153,194 (2.9%)60-64 female: 164,180 (3.1%)60-6465-69 male: 134,676 (2.6%)65-69 female: 145,147 (2.8%)70-74 male: 111,761 (2.1%)70-74 female: 121,014 (2.3%)70-7475-79 male: 90,135 (1.7%)75-79 female: 99,546 (1.9%)80-84 male: 54,831 (1.0%)80-84 female: 65,323 (1.2%)80-8485-89 male: 28,378 (0.5%)85-89 female: 38,452 (0.7%)90-94 male: 10,691 (0.2%)90-94 female: 16,654 (0.3%)90-9495-99 male: 2,537 (0.0%)95-99 female: 4,826 (0.1%)100+ male: 249 (0.0%)100+ female: 604 (0.0%)100+

New Zealand population FAQ

What is the population of New Zealand in 2026?

New Zealand's population is estimated at about 5.36 million in 2026, extrapolated from the latest official figure of 5,324,700 (2025). New Zealand ranks 125th in the world by population.

Is the population of New Zealand growing or shrinking?

New Zealand's population is growing at about 0.65% per year, an increase of roughly 34,700 people over the past year.

How densely populated is New Zealand?

New Zealand has about 20 people per square kilometre across a land area of 263,310 km².

What share of the world's population lives in New Zealand?

New Zealand is home to about 0.06% of the world's population.

What is New Zealand's projected population in 2050?

United Nations medium-variant projections put New Zealand's population at 5,755,288 in 2050, passing through 5,407,349 in 2030.

What is the median age in New Zealand?

The median age in New Zealand is 37.7 years (2025 estimate) — half the population is younger and half older than that.

Sources: World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0); median age and projections from UN World Population Prospects 2024. Live figures are estimates extrapolated from the latest official data — see methodology.