Page last modified 16 August 2023
New Zealand
Community
Area 267,710 square kilometres (land area 267,710 square kilometres)
North Island, 115,777 square kilometres
South Island, 151,215 square kilometres
Population,
80,000 (1840) all
2,000 (1840)*
26,707 (1851)*
99,022 (1861)*
256,260 (1871)*
534,030 (1881)
668,632 (1891)
743,207 (1896)
815,853 (1901)
1,058,308 (1911)
1,271,644 (1921)
1,408,139 (1926)
1,573,819 (1936)
1,702,298 (1945)
1,939,472 (1950)
2,370,000 (1960) +24.2%
2,820,000 (1970) +19.0%
3,150,000 (1980) +11.7%
3,400,000 (1990) +7.9%
3,860,000 (2000) +13.5%
4,370,000 (2010) +13.2%
5,084,300 (2020) +16.3%
*White population only
Ethnicity, %
|
|
Asian |
Maori |
Mixed race |
Pacific Islands |
White |
|
1891 |
|
6.3 |
|
|
|
|
1901 |
|
5.3 |
|
|
|
|
1936 |
|
|
|
|
94.3 |
|
1941 |
|
5.8 |
|
|
|
|
1951 |
|
6.0 |
|
|
|
|
1961 |
|
7.1 |
|
|
|
|
1971 |
|
8.5 |
|
1.0 |
91.0 |
|
1981 |
|
8.8 |
|
|
|
|
1991 |
|
9.4 |
|
5.0 |
83.1 |
|
1996 |
5.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
2001 |
6.6 |
13.8 |
|
6.5 |
80.0 |
|
2006 |
9.2 |
13.6 |
7.9 |
6.9 |
77.6 |
|
2013 |
11.8 |
14.9 |
|
7.4 |
74.0 |
Religion, %
|
|
Buddhist |
Christian Anglican |
Christian Methodist |
Christian Presbyterian |
Christian R C |
Muslim |
No Religion |
|
1950 |
|
37.5 |
|
23.4 |
13.5 |
|
|
|
1960 |
|
32.4 |
6.7 |
20.1 |
12.9 |
|
|
|
1990 |
|
24.0 |
5.0 |
18.0 |
15.0 |
|
|
|
2006 |
|
13.8 |
|
|
12.6 |
|
32.2 |
|
2013 |
1.5 |
11.8 |
|
8.5 |
12.6 |
1.2 |
41.9 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1865 |
|
|
|
13.2 |
|
|
|
|
1880 |
|
|
117.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1900 |
|
|
79.0 |
9.8 |
|
|
|
|
1933 |
|
18.0 (+8.7) |
39.0 |
9.3 |
|
|
|
|
1940 |
|
22.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1945 |
|
23.2 (+13.1) |
28.0 |
10.1 |
|
|
60.3 |
|
1952 |
|
26.0 (+17.0) |
26.0 |
9.0 |
29.1 |
9.0 |
60.7 |
|
1962 |
4.1 |
25.1 (+14.1) |
21.0 |
9.0 |
33.1 |
8.4 |
77.1 |
|
1970 |
3.2 |
22.6 (+13.8) |
17.0 |
8.8 |
31.7 |
8.5 |
81.1 |
|
1980 |
2.0 |
16.4 (+7.9) |
13.0 |
8.5 |
27.2 |
9.8 |
83.4 |
|
1990 |
2.1 |
18.0 (+9.9) |
9.2 |
8.1 |
23.2 |
11.1 |
84.7 |
|
2000 |
2.0 |
14.6 (+7.7) |
6.1 |
6.9 |
22.7 |
11.8 |
85.7 |
|
2010 |
2.2 |
15.0 (+8.5) |
5.1 |
6.5 |
20.5 |
13.1 |
86.2 |
|
2015 |
2.0 |
13.3 (+6.4) |
4.9 |
6.9 |
20.0 |
14.6 |
86.3 |
|
2017 |
1.8 |
12.4 (+5.4) |
4.8 |
7.0 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
4.7 |
|
19.7 |
15.6 |
86.5 |
Life expectancy,
55.4 (1900)
60.5 (1908); 59.2 (M), 61.8 (F)
66.5 (1931); 65.0 (M), 67.9 (F)
69.6 (1952); 68.0 (M), 72.0 (F)
71.2 (1960); 68.7 (M), 73.9 (F)
71.3 (1970); 68.2 (M), 74.5 (F)
72.8 (1980); 70.0 (M), 75.8 (F)
75.4 (1990); 72.5 (M), 78.4 (F)
78.6 (2000); 76.1 (M), 81.3 (F)
80.7 (2010); 78.8 (M), 82.7 (F)
82.4 (2020); 80.7 (M), 84.0 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Auckland1 |
Christchurch2 |
Dunedin3 |
Hamilton |
WELLINGTON4 |
|
1856 |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
1870 |
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
1881 |
17 |
|
24 |
|
|
|
1891 |
51 |
17 |
44 |
|
37 |
|
1901 |
67 |
57 |
53 |
|
49 |
|
1911 |
|
80 |
63 |
|
65 |
|
1936 |
102 |
92 |
65 |
|
116 |
|
1945 |
263 |
150 |
84 |
26 |
175 MA |
|
1950 |
322 |
172 |
96 |
|
133 |
|
1960 |
423 |
215 |
103 |
47 |
145 |
|
1970 |
635 |
265 |
110 |
70 |
180 |
|
1980 |
|
315 |
|
|
|
|
1990 |
896 |
330 |
110 |
150 |
320 |
|
2001 |
1,075 |
334 |
107 |
166 |
340 |
|
2009 |
1,360 |
|
|
|
391 |
|
2017 |
1.,657 MA |
382 |
129 |
236 MA |
417 MA |
1Auckland was first capital of New Zealand, established 1840; Wellington became the capital from 1865.� The city was named after Lord Auckland, who was then the Governor-General of India and was famous for winning the First Afghan War.� The population of Auckland was boosted by Scottish migration in the 1840s.
2Christchurch was founded as a model English settlement in 1851; with streets laid out in a grid pattern.
3Dunedin was founded by Scottish Presbyterian settlers in 1848.
4The harbour at Wellington was visited by Captain Cook in 1773.� The city was founded in 1840 by Edward Gibbon Wakefield as the first settlement of the New Zealand Company.� It was named after the Duke of Wellington� (1769-1852) who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, 1815. Wellington replaced Auckland as the national capital in 1865.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1948 |
1,755 |
0.79 |
933 |
61.18 |
|
1956 |
2,475 |
0.69 |
|
|
|
1960 |
5,485 |
1.01 |
2,312 |
76.89 |
|
1965 |
5,654 |
0.76 |
2,151 |
56.19 |
|
1970 |
6,450 |
0.62 |
2,400 |
45.74 |
|
1975 |
12,861 |
0.79 |
4,172 |
53.35 |
|
1980 |
23,245 |
0.83 |
7,470 |
59.30 |
|
1985 |
24,680 |
0.59 |
7,600 |
41.60 |
|
1990 |
45,500 |
0.78 |
13,663 |
57.04 |
|
1995 |
63,900 |
0.86 |
17,400 |
57.87 |
|
2000 |
52,623 |
0.53 |
13,641 |
37.42 |
|
2005 |
114,720 |
0.88 |
27,750 |
62.63 |
|
2010 |
146,581 |
0.98 |
33,691 |
69.65 |
|
2015 |
175,565 |
0.97 |
38,200 |
67.96 |
|
2016 |
185,000 |
1.00 |
39,425 |
68.60 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1936 |
|
23.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
1945 |
|
18.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
15.0 |
|
37.0 |
|
49.0 |
|
1970 |
|
12.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
|
10.0 |
|
35.0 |
51.3 |
54.9 |
|
1990 |
8.1 |
10.0 |
30.5 |
27.4 |
|
|
|
2000 |
8.0 |
|
23.0 |
|
69.0 |
71.0 |
|
2010 |
4.6 |
7.0 |
24.0 |
19.0 |
71.4 |
74.0 |
|
2016 |
3.9 |
|
26.3 |
|
69.8 |
|
Communications
Language �% Official; English and Maori
|
|
English |
Maori |
|
1990 |
|
1.5 |
|
2006 |
91.2 |
3.9 |
|
2016 |
96.1 |
3.7 |
Literacy, 99.9% (1980 and after)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1948 |
|
|
|
226,407 |
69,267 |
|
1951 |
|
|
|
272,733 |
95,154 |
|
1955 |
|
|
474,200 |
363,000 |
|
|
1963 |
|
|
|
593,085 |
137,811 |
|
1964 |
|
|
800,600 |
|
|
|
1969 |
|
|
1,138,577 |
843,190 |
166,387 |
|
1978 |
|
|
|
1,251,600 |
245,000 |
|
1986 |
|
51,215 |
|
1,531,425 |
306,000 |
|
1992 |
|
55,313 |
2,351,868 |
1,542.912 |
|
|
1997 |
91,997 |
|
2,457,116 |
1,675,300 |
|
|
2002 |
92,200 |
|
|
1,900,000 |
|
|
2007 |
93,748 |
|
2,667,000 |
|
500,000 |
|
2009 |
93,991 |
|
2,781,000 |
|
|
|
2012 |
94,902 |
62,759 |
2,884,000 |
|
|
|
2013 |
|
|
3,250,000 |
|
|
|
2014 |
|
|
3,675,000 |
|
|
|
2015 |
|
|
3,858,000 |
3,018,000 |
|
Railways; First steam railway opened 1863, Christchurch to Ferrymead.
Length, kilometres, (% electrified)
74 (1870)
2,058 (1880)
2,941 (1890)
3,560 (1900)
4,447 (1910)
4,859 (1920)
5,371 (1930)
5,458 (1940)
5,683 (1950)
153 e (1956)
5,500 (1960)
5,365 (1962)
4,478 (1980)
4,273 (1986) (4.2% e)
504 e (1993)
4,439 (1996)
3,900 (1999)
3,898 (2002) (13.0% e)
4,128 (2008) (12.3% e)
4,128 (2014) (12.2% e)
Electronic communications, TV broadcasts began 1960 (colour
from 1973)
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
192,019 |
|
285,000 |
|
|
|
|
1944 |
244,754 |
|
380,660 |
|
|
|
|
1948 |
252,626 |
|
421,000 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
454,000 |
|
|
|
|
1951 |
271,935 |
|
465,609 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
580,000 |
|
|
|
|
1962 |
801,875 |
|
607,881 |
65,524 |
|
|
|
1975 |
987,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
2,715,000 |
863,100 |
|
|
|
1980 |
1,136,500 |
|
|
880,000 |
|
|
|
1987 |
|
2,400 |
|
|
|
|
|
1990 |
1,469,000 |
54,100 |
3,130,000 |
1,500,000 |
300,000 |
|
|
1995 |
|
365,000 |
3,550,000 |
1,830,000 |
800,000 |
|
|
1998 |
|
|
|
|
|
561,000 |
|
2000 |
1,833,000 |
1,540,000 |
3,850,000 |
2,100,000 |
1,380,000 |
1,250,000 |
|
2004 |
|
3,000,000 |
|
|
1,924,000 |
2,350,000 |
|
2006 |
|
|
|
2,500,000 |
2,200,000 |
|
|
2010 |
1,870,000 |
5,023,000 |
|
|
|
3,330,000 |
|
2016 |
1,820,000 |
5,800,000 |
|
|
|
3,960,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to New Zealand,
220.685 (1969)
295,000 (1975)
390,000 (1977)
445,195 (1980)
689,073 (1986)
976,000 (1990)
1,409,000 (1995)
1,780,000 (2000)
2,353,000 (2005)
2,435,000 (2010)
3,039,000 (2015)
3,600,000 (2016)