First results from the 2023 Census – older, more diverse population, and an extra 300,000 people between censuses

New Zealand is more ethnically diverse and ageing slightly, but growth of the population slowed considerably between censuses, Stats NZ said today.

Stats NZ has released the first data from the 2023 Census of Population and Dwellings. This includes population, Māori descent, ethnic group, age, and dwelling counts at national, regional council, and territorial authority (city and district) and Auckland local board levels.

“The first release of data is a welcome milestone in the delivery of the 2023 Census. The data we have released will enable local authorities, iwi and hapū, community organisations, and the people of Aotearoa New Zealand to incorporate census data into their decision-making about the infrastructure and services needed by communities across the country,” Government Statistician and Stats NZ Chief Executive Mark Sowden said.

Population counts

“The census usually resident population of New Zealand grew by 294,168 people between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses to nearly 5 million people (4,993,923),” Sowden said.

“Population growth slowed to 6.3 percent between censuses, down from the 10.8 percent growth rate (totalling 457,707 people) between the 2013 and 2018 Censuses.”

Other highlights from the population counts include:

• 3 in 4 people (76.3 percent) lived in the North Island, and 1 in 3 people (33.2 percent or nearly 1.66 million people) lived in Auckland in 2023

• population growth was fastest in the South Island (7.3 percent) between 2018 and 2023, compared with the North Island (5.9 percent)

• all regions saw growth in their population between 2018 and 2023

• the population growth rate for Auckland region more than halved to 5.4 percent, while only the Tasman region had a growth rate over 10 percent this censual period (compared with eight regions between 2013 and 2018)

• population growth was slowest regionally in Wellington and Southland at 2.8 percent and 2.7 percent respectively

• all territorial authorities (cities and districts) saw growth in their population, except Wellington city and the Chatham Islands territory which have relatively stable populations (with slight decreases between 2018 and 2023)

• Selwyn and Queenstown-Lakes districts continued to be the fastest growing territorial authorities in New Zealand.

Demographic data

“Census data provides insights into the changing profile of the people who live in New Zealand,” Sowden said.

“In 2023, 1 in 5 people were of Māori descent (which is based on whakapapa). There was a 12.5 percent (108,396 people) increase in the Māori descent census population between 2018 and 2023, to nearly 1 million people (978,246).

“The population of New Zealand continues to age, with the median age of the population rising to 38.1 years in 2023, compared with 37.4 years in 2018.

“While people of European ethnicity made up the majority of the population in 2023 (67.8 percent), the ethnic make-up of the population continued to diversify. Māori, Asian, Pacific peoples, and Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (MELAA) ethnic groups grew significantly faster than the European ethnic group, and accounted for 17.8 percent, 17.3 percent, 8.9 percent, and 1.9 percent respectively of the total population in 2023 (with some people identifying with more than one ethnicity).”

2023 Census population counts (by ethnic group, age, and Māori descent) and dwelling counts provides further highlights in the data.

At the same time, census data with a focus on Māori descent has been released for and by iwi on the Te Whata platform administered by Te Kāhui Raraunga and the Data Iwi Leaders Group.

Information on the Māori descent data released is available at Ngā Hua I Resources | Te Kāhui Raraunga.

More detailed data and insights from the census will be published on Stats NZ platforms from 3 October 2024, with iwi data available on the Te Whata platform from 26 September 2024.

Note on the 2023 Census dataset

The published results for the 2023 Census include combined data from census responses gathered across the country between 13 February and 30 June 2023, and government administrative (admin) data for census usually resident population counts, and admin data, historical census data, and statistical methods for census variables (Māori descent, age, and ethnicity).

Note on population estimates

The census usually resident population count is lower than the estimated resident population produced regularly by Stats NZ, with the latest estimate of the New Zealand population at 5.34 million people (see National population estimates: At 31 March 2024 (2018-base)).

Population estimates are based on the census counts but are higher because they make an allowance for:

• any undercount in a census

• residents temporarily overseas at the time of the census

• births, deaths, and net migration (external and internal) since the last census.

Population estimates are recalibrated every five years based on the latest census. We will provide updated population estimates based on the 2023 Census in early 2025, after results of the 2023 Post-enumeration Survey are made available on 9 December 2024.

Note on confidentiality

All data produced from the census uses a technique called ‘fixed random rounding’ to protect the confidentiality of people’s data. This protects people from being identified in data produced from the census.

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