Voter turnout of voting-age population in New Zealand
New Zealand: Voter turnout of voting-age population was 73.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Voter turnout of voting-age population in New Zealand, 1946–2023
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 73.4% for voter turnout of voting-age population in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.1% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, voter turnout of voting-age population in New Zealand peaked at 99.6% in 1949 and was at its lowest, 69.8%, in 2011.
New Zealand ranks 40th of 161 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Voter turnout of voting-age population in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 92.1% | — |
| 1949 | 99.6% | +8.1% |
| 1951 | 95.1% | -4.5% |
| 1954 | 91.1% | -4.2% |
| 1957 | 85.5% | -6.1% |
| 1960 | 85.5% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 83.3% | -2.6% |
| 1966 | 79.3% | -4.8% |
| 1969 | 85.6% | +7.9% |
| 1972 | 85.3% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 81.7% | -4.2% |
| 1978 | 82.3% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 88.9% | +7.9% |
| 1984 | 87.4% | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 81.4% | -6.9% |
| 1990 | 78.6% | -3.5% |
| 1993 | 79.6% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 83.0% | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 76.1% | -8.3% |
| 2002 | 72.5% | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 79.2% | +9.3% |
| 2008 | 77.8% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 69.8% | -10.3% |
| 2014 | 72.3% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 76.3% | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 77.3% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 73.4% | -5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 95.8% | 92.1% | 99.6% | 2 |
| 1950s | 90.6% | 85.5% | 95.1% | 3 |
| 1960s | 83.5% | 79.3% | 85.6% | 4 |
| 1970s | 83.1% | 81.7% | 85.3% | 3 |
| 1980s | 85.9% | 81.4% | 88.9% | 3 |
| 1990s | 79.3% | 76.1% | 83.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 76.5% | 72.5% | 79.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 72.8% | 69.8% | 76.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 75.4% | 73.4% | 77.3% | 2 |
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)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Population density 22.07 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 256,010 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is voter turnout of voting-age population in New Zealand?
- Voter turnout of voting-age population in New Zealand was 73.4% in 2023, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest voter turnout of voting-age population recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 99.6% in 1949.
- What is the lowest voter turnout of voting-age population recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.8% in 2011.
- How does New Zealand rank for voter turnout of voting-age population?
- New Zealand ranks 40th out of 161 countries with data for 2023.
- Is voter turnout of voting-age population rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Voter turnout of voting-age population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Denotes the voter turnout as a share of the voting age population in the national election according to official results.