Number of children, working-age adults, and older people in New Zealand
New Zealand: Number of children, working-age adults, and older people was 868,185 people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Number of children, working-age adults, and older people in New Zealand, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 868,185 people for number of children, working-age adults, and older people in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 38.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children, working-age adults, and older people in New Zealand peaked at 868,185 people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 173,380 people, in 1950.
That places New Zealand 83rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 190,910 people | 173,380 people | 204,452 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 219,276 people | 206,486 people | 234,972 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 268,601 people | 239,603 people | 299,626 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 333,957 people | 305,914 people | 364,039 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 415,965 people | 374,893 people | 447,329 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 495,644 people | 453,292 people | 548,636 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 660,530 people | 564,053 people | 762,816 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 830,368 people | 791,256 people | 868,185 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 80 Saudi Arabia 937,639 people compare
- 81 Mozambique 930,568 people compare
- 82 Croatia 888,224 people compare
- 84 Guatemala 858,102 people compare
- 85 Dominican Republic 857,676 people compare
- 86 Azerbaijan 826,482 people compare
More population data for New Zealand
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 256,010 people (2100)
- Population density 22.07 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.57 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 2,063 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.57 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.57 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.4% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.67 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children, working-age adults, and older people in New Zealand?
- Number of children, working-age adults, and older people in New Zealand was 868,185 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 868,185 people in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 173,380 people in 1950.
- How does New Zealand rank for number of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- New Zealand ranks 83rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children, working-age adults, and older people rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children, working-age adults, and older people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 65+.