Fertility and wanted fertility in New Zealand

New Zealand: Fertility and wanted fertility was 1.57 in 2024. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2024)
1.57
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
138th
of 215 countries
All-time high
4.31
in 1961
All-time low
1.57
in 2023
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Fertility and wanted fertility in New Zealand, 1960–2024

01234196019922024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, fertility and wanted fertility in New Zealand stood at 1.57. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility and wanted fertility in New Zealand peaked at 4.31 in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.57, in 2023.

That places New Zealand 138th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 3.75 3.28 4.31 10
1970s 2.57 2.07 3.18 10
1980s 2 1.92 2.12 10
1990s 2.01 1.89 2.18 10
2000s 2.02 1.89 2.19 10
2010s 1.94 1.71 2.17 10
2020s 1.62 1.57 1.67 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 135 France 1.61 compare
  2. 136 Aruba, Kingdom of the Netherlands 1.61 compare
  3. 137 Antigua and Barbuda 1.58 compare
  4. 139 Iceland 1.56 compare
  5. 139 Kuwait 1.56 compare
  6. 139 Maldives 1.56 compare

See the full ranking of 215 places β†’

More population data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility and wanted fertility in New Zealand?
Fertility and wanted fertility in New Zealand was 1.57 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest fertility and wanted fertility recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 4.31 in 1961.
What is the lowest fertility and wanted fertility recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 1.57 in 2023.
How does New Zealand rank for fertility and wanted fertility?
New Zealand ranks 138th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is fertility and wanted fertility rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility and wanted fertility. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV Β· JSON β€” 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Fertility and wanted fertility in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-and-wanted-fertility/new-zealand/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://population.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-and-wanted-fertility/new-zealand/">Fertility and wanted fertility in New Zealand</a> β€” Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Fertility and wanted fertility
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 13,943 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed