Prison population rate in New Zealand
New Zealand: Prison population rate was 199 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
199
Change on year
up 32.7%
World rank
72nd
of 202 countries
All-time high
214
in 2018
All-time low
145
in 2002
Years of data
13
2000–2025
Prison population rate in New Zealand, 2000–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 199 for prison population rate in 2025.
The figure is up 32.7% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prison population rate in New Zealand peaked at 214 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 145, in 2002.
That places New Zealand 72nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Prison population rate in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 148 | — |
| 2002 | 145 | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 160 | +10.3% |
| 2006 | 181 | +13.1% |
| 2008 | 182 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 198 | +8.8% |
| 2012 | 195 | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 190 | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 203 | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 214 | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 186 | -13.1% |
| 2022 | 150 | -19.4% |
| 2025 | 199 | +32.7% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 199 is above the median for high income countries, which is 172.5, 1.2× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 199 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 170, 1.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 163.2 | 145 | 182 | 5 |
| 2010s | 200 | 190 | 214 | 5 |
| 2020s | 178.33 | 150 | 199 | 3 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More population data for New Zealand
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -14.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0739 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,949 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.628 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.191 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.077 (2100)
- Population density 22.07 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 256,010 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prison population rate in New Zealand?
- Prison population rate in New Zealand was 199 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prison population rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 214 in 2018.
- What is the lowest prison population rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 145 in 2002.
- How does New Zealand rank for prison population rate?
- New Zealand ranks 72nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is prison population rate rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Prison population rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).