Statizoid

Population in New Zealand

New Zealand: Population was 5.17 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
5.17 million people
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
123rd
of 238 countries
All-time high
5.17 million people
in 2023
All-time low
16,000 people
in 1200
Years of data
239
1200–2023

Population in New Zealand, 1200–2023

02.0M4.0M6.0M120016112023

Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2023, population in New Zealand stood at 5.17 million people. That is the highest value across all 239 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 16.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population in New Zealand peaked at 5.17 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 16,000 people, in 1200.

New Zealand ranks 123rd of 238 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1200s 16,000 people 16,000 people 16,000 people 1
1300s 20,000 people 20,000 people 20,000 people 1
1400s 20,000 people 20,000 people 20,000 people 1
1500s 80,000 people 80,000 people 80,000 people 1
1600s 140,000 people 140,000 people 140,000 people 1
1700s 200,000 people 200,000 people 200,000 people 1
1710s 187,739 people 187,739 people 187,739 people 1
1720s 185,880 people 185,880 people 185,880 people 1
1730s 184,040 people 184,040 people 184,040 people 1
1740s 182,218 people 182,218 people 182,218 people 1
1750s 180,414 people 180,414 people 180,414 people 1
1760s 178,627 people 178,627 people 178,627 people 1
1770s 176,859 people 176,859 people 176,859 people 1
1780s 175,108 people 175,108 people 175,108 people 1
1790s 173,374 people 173,374 people 173,374 people 1
1800s 171,968 people 146,409 people 200,000 people 10
1810s 121,814 people 104,332 people 141,591 people 10
1820s 100,214 people 99,299 people 102,141 people 10
1830s 85,520 people 73,481 people 97,922 people 10
1840s 79,003 people 72,621 people 88,066 people 10
1850s 107,920 people 90,807 people 128,326 people 10
1860s 194,655 people 135,706 people 269,071 people 10
1870s 383,286 people 288,500 people 488,189 people 10
1880s 580,553 people 510,014 people 647,608 people 10
1890s 725,569 people 662,272 people 791,494 people 10
1900s 908,057 people 809,099 people 1.01 million people 10
1910s 1.13 million people 1.04 million people 1.22 million people 10
1920s 1.35 million people 1.24 million people 1.46 million people 10
1930s 1.55 million people 1.48 million people 1.62 million people 10
1940s 1.75 million people 1.64 million people 1.88 million people 10
1950s 2.12 million people 1.91 million people 2.33 million people 10
1960s 2.60 million people 2.38 million people 2.78 million people 10
1970s 3.03 million people 2.82 million people 3.14 million people 10
1980s 3.25 million people 3.15 million people 3.33 million people 10
1990s 3.64 million people 3.40 million people 3.84 million people 10
2000s 4.09 million people 3.86 million people 4.30 million people 10
2010s 4.62 million people 4.35 million people 4.99 million people 10
2020s 5.12 million people 5.07 million people 5.17 million people 4

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 120 Liberia 5.49 million people compare
  2. 121 Palestine 5.41 million people compare
  3. 124 Central African Republic 5.15 million people compare
  4. 125 Costa Rica 5.11 million people compare
  5. 126 Oman 5.05 million people compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is population in New Zealand?
Population in New Zealand was 5.17 million people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 5.17 million people in 2023.
What is the lowest population recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 16,000 people in 1200.
How does New Zealand rank for population?
New Zealand ranks 123rd out of 238 countries with data for 2023.
Is population rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 239 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Population
Unit
people
Source
HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 51,002 data points, 1000–2023
Last refreshed

Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.