Total number of international immigrants in New Zealand

New Zealand: Total number of international immigrants was 1.47 million immigrants in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1.47 million immigrants
World rank
46th
of 232 countries
All-time high
1.47 million immigrants
in 2024
All-time low
526,369 immigrants
in 1990
Years of data
8
1990–2024

Total number of international immigrants in New Zealand, 1990–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M1990200720241990: 526.4k immigrants1995: 594.9k immigrants2000: 686.0k immigrants2005: 855.0k immigrants2010: 957.0k immigrants2015: 1.1M immigrants2020: 1.3M immigrants2024: 1.5M immigrants

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in immigrants.

Analysis

The most recent figure for total number of international immigrants in New Zealand is 1.47 million immigrants, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 29.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total number of international immigrants in New Zealand peaked at 1.47 million immigrants in 2024 and was at its lowest, 526,369 immigrants, in 1990.

That places New Zealand 46th out of 232 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 560,640 immigrants 526,369 immigrants 594,911 immigrants 2
2000s 770,492 immigrants 685,966 immigrants 855,017 immigrants 2
2010s 1.04 million immigrants 956,982 immigrants 1.13 million immigrants 2
2020s 1.41 million immigrants 1.34 million immigrants 1.47 million immigrants 2

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 43 Mexico 1.73 million immigrants compare
  2. 44 China 1.64 million immigrants compare
  3. 45 Chile 1.54 million immigrants compare
  4. 47 Greece 1.42 million immigrants compare
  5. 48 Lebanon 1.42 million immigrants compare
  6. 49 Brazil 1.41 million immigrants compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More population data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is total number of international immigrants in New Zealand?
Total number of international immigrants in New Zealand was 1.47 million immigrants in 2024, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest total number of international immigrants recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 1.47 million immigrants in 2024.
What is the lowest total number of international immigrants recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 526,369 immigrants in 1990.
How does New Zealand rank for total number of international immigrants?
New Zealand ranks 46th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is total number of international immigrants rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Total number of international immigrants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Total number of international immigrants
Unit
immigrants
Source
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
232 places, 1,856 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

People living in a given country who were born in another country.