Demographics of New Zealand

Source UN (World Population Prospects 2024)
Date25 Mar 2026

As of 2026, the population of New Zealand is projected at 5.29 million, compared to 5.25 million in 2025. It is the third-most populous country in Oceania and ranks 126th in the world, accounting for 11.2% of Oceania's population. The population growth rate for 2026 is projected at 0.65%, placing New Zealand 122nd among 237 countries and dependent territories.

There are 2.63 million males and 2.66 million females in New Zealand. The male population accounts for 49.72%, compared to 50.28% for females. New Zealand has 29k more females than males. The sex ratio in 2026 is projected at 98.90 males per 100 females. New Zealand ranks 140th globally in terms of the female-to-male ratio.

In 2026, New Zealand is projected to record 58k births, the 127th highest number of births worldwide—roughly 159 per day, or 7 per hour. Meanwhile, the country is expected to record 40k deaths, the 120th highest death toll in the world—about 109 per day, or 5 per hour.

In 2026, New Zealand is projected to have a life expectancy at birth to reach 82.52 years, approximately 8.76 years higher than the global average. This places the country 37th worldwide and third in Oceania behind French Polynesia and Australia. Its life expectancy is comparable to that of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Austria.

In 2026, New Zealand's total fertility rate (TFR) is projected at 1.64 children per woman, below the global average. This places New Zealand 143rd worldwide and 20th in Oceania, putting it on par with countries such as Australia, the United States of America, and France in terms of overall fertility.

  • Population
  • Growth rate
  • Gender

New Zealand population

Year Population Growth (%) M per 100 F
MaleFemaleTotal
1950958,922952,3411,911,2631.94100.691
19551,076,0301,063,6422,139,6722.05101.165
19601,195,9051,183,5762,379,4811.95101.042
19651,322,5631,313,9302,636,4941.76100.657
19701,409,6601,412,5172,822,1771.4999.798
19751,544,5071,549,5253,094,0321.4399.676
19801,564,8011,581,5263,146,3270.2898.942
19851,619,1341,648,8933,268,0280.3498.195
19901,672,7121,724,2663,396,9793.0697.010
19951,811,3271,863,1013,674,4281.5397.221
20001,893,6881,963,8863,857,5740.6096.426
20052,025,3812,109,6264,135,0071.1996.007
20102,126,0082,221,7624,347,7700.9595.690
20152,271,8322,342,1974,614,0292.1496.996
20202,516,7522,553,1435,069,8951.3298.575
20212,535,6752,572,0215,107,6970.1798.587
20222,548,3252,583,4105,131,7340.7798.642
20232,569,5122,603,3235,172,8360.8398.701
20242,590,5972,623,3475,213,9440.7598.752
20252,610,4342,641,4655,251,8990.7098.825
20262,629,1382,658,3415,287,4790.6598.901
  • Life expectancy
  • Median age
  • Fertility rate

Demographics Indicators

YearLife expectancy Median ageFertility rate
195069.25328.4293.552
195570.47927.7463.880
196071.22426.5084.241
196571.21524.8833.537
197071.21924.6143.168
197572.20025.3092.357
198072.86226.8512.032
198573.87628.4131.930
199075.42530.0562.167
199576.78531.6081.979
200078.66833.3361.977
200580.03134.5331.961
201081.05235.8842.165
201581.58736.3871.982
202082.66336.4601.630
202182.30036.7731.647
202281.00637.0681.665
202382.08837.2801.667
202482.24537.5031.659
202582.38837.7351.646
202682.52337.9881.639
  • Total
  • Crude

New Zealand death and birth rate

Year Total Crude(per 1000)
DeathBirthCrude deathCrude birth
195018,04449,1029.44125.691
195519,05455,2218.90525.808
196020,67963,1748.69126.549
196522,65759,8408.59422.697
197024,54762,1398.69822.018
197524,87355,9468.03918.082
198026,45150,7708.40716.136
198527,38852,0408.38115.924
199026,42659,7757.77917.597
199527,77657,1937.55915.565
200026,86256,5736.96414.665
200527,42057,2436.63113.843
201028,83663,3786.63214.577
201531,90159,8546.91412.972
202032,74357,3916.45811.320
202135,08058,8536.86811.522
202241,11358,9558.01211.488
202337,68659,2367.28511.451
202438,62359,1217.40811.339
202539,24158,4917.47211.137
202639,92657,9997.55110.969
  • Population
  • Urbanization

Urban and rural population of New Zealand

Year Population Urban (%)
UrbanRural
19501,055,964855,29955.250
19551,178,254961,41855.067
19601,484,214895,26662.376
19651,778,032858,46267.439
19702,270,320551,85780.446
19752,559,332534,70082.718
19802,624,194522,13383.405
19852,737,396530,63283.763
19902,880,097516,88284.784
19953,137,695536,73385.393
20003,306,171551,40385.706
20053,553,209581,79885.930
20103,733,056614,71485.861
20153,928,932685,09785.152
20204,249,277820,61883.814
20214,281,778825,91883.830
20224,303,202828,53283.855
20234,339,487833,34983.890
20244,376,432837,51283.937
20254,411,482840,41783.998
20264,445,389842,09084.074
  • Population pyramid
  • Gender ratio

New Zealand population by Age Group (2026)

Age group Male Female Total M per 100 F
PersonsShare (%)
00-04 152,978 145,005 297,983 5.64 105.498
05-09 157,655 149,590 307,245 5.81 105.391
10-14 168,156 159,173 327,329 6.19 105.644
15-19 176,415 166,864 343,279 6.49 105.724
20-24 172,591 164,620 337,212 6.38 104.842
25-29 177,588 166,312 343,901 6.50 106.780
30-34 192,804 182,980 375,783 7.11 105.369
35-39 192,221 192,466 384,687 7.28 99.873
40-44 169,194 172,263 341,457 6.46 98.218
45-49 154,373 157,448 311,822 5.90 98.047
50-54 157,249 163,484 320,733 6.07 96.186
55-59 158,621 167,316 325,937 6.16 94.803
60-64 152,817 163,391 316,207 5.98 93.528
65-69 138,076 149,204 287,279 5.43 92.542
70-74 114,250 124,320 238,570 4.51 91.900
75-79 92,811 102,536 195,346 3.69 90.516
80-84 57,343 67,828 125,170 2.37 84.542
85-89 30,297 41,051 71,349 1.35 73.803
90-94 10,842 16,910 27,752 0.52 64.116
95-99 2,599 4,949 7,548 0.14 52.516
100+ 260 631 891 0.02 41.204
Total 2,629,140 2,658,341 5,287,480 98.902