Total population in New Zealand
New Zealand: Total population was 5,234 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in New Zealand, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 5,234 thousands for total population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in New Zealand peaked at 5,234 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2,801 thousands, in 1970.
That places New Zealand 123rd out of 230 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3,010 thousands | 2,801 thousands | 3,143 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 3,236 thousands | 3,142 thousands | 3,323 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,618 thousands | 3,345 thousands | 3,825 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,067 thousands | 3,846 thousands | 4,281 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,580 thousands | 4,327 thousands | 4,942 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,139 thousands | 5,037 thousands | 5,234 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More population data for New Zealand
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.077 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 256,010 (2100)
- Population density 22.07 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.077 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.57 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 2,063 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.57 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.57 (2024)
- Natural population growth 0.4166 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 1.67 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in New Zealand?
- Total population in New Zealand was 5,234 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 5,234 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,801 thousands in 1970.
- How does New Zealand rank for total population?
- New Zealand ranks 123rd out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release