Young Kiwis lead brain drain as migration falls below 30,000, departures at record

It's the first time the net migration gain has fallen below 30,000 since December 2022, while departures rose to an annual record. Photo / 123rf

New Zealand had a net migration gain of 26,400 in the March 2025 year, Stats NZ said.

“The net migration gain of 26,400 in the March 2025 year was well down from a gain of 100,400 in the March 2024 year,” Stats NZ international migration statistics spokeswoman Sarah Drake said.

It was the first time the rate had fallen below 30,000 since December 2022.

The fall in net migration was mainly due to fewer migrant arrivals, although departures also rose to an annual record, Drake said.

Provisionally, there were 149,600 migrant arrivals and 123,300 migrant departures in the year to March, compared with 207,100 migrant arrivals and 106,700 migrant departures in the March 2024 year.

The provisional net migration loss of 44,900 New Zealand citizens in the March 2025 year was similar to a net loss of 45,300 in the March 2024 year.

The net loss of New Zealand citizens was driven by 70,000 migrant departures, which more than offset 25,200 migrant arrivals.

Based on the latest estimates available, nearly three in every five of these migrant departures of New Zealand citizens went to Australia.

Migration driven by adults under 45

Migrants aged 18 to 30 years made up 27,200 (39%) of the 70,000 migrant departures of New Zealand citizens in the March 2025 year.

Migrants aged 18 to 44 years made up 80,200 (64%) of the 124,400 migrant arrivals of non-New Zealand citizens in the March 2025 year.

For migrant departures in the March 2025 year, citizens of New Zealand were the largest group, with 70,000 (± 800) departures. The next-largest groups were citizens of China (7600) the United Kingdom (4600) and Australia (4100).

For migrant arrivals, citizens of New Zealand were the largest group, with 25,200 arrivals. The next-largest groups were citizens of India (23,600), China (19,000) and the Philippines (12,300).

Monthly numbers

Provisional estimates for March 2025 compared with March 2024 were: migrant arrivals, 12,400, down 7%; migrant departures, 10,000, up 3%; and monthly net migration, a gain of 2300, compared with a net gain of 3500 in 2024.

Tourist numbers

Meanwhile, annual tourist numbers continue to rebound from the Covid slump.

The latest short-term arrivals data show overseas visitor arrivals numbered 3.32 million in the March 2025 year, an increase of 137,000 from the March 2024 year.

The biggest changes were in arrivals from Australia (up 110,000 to 1.40 million, China (up 38,000 to 248,000), the United Kingdom (up 13,000 to 184,000) and Japan (up 11,000 to 71,000).

Overall gains to the economy may have been offset somewhat by the rebound in Kiwis taking overseas trips.

New Zealand residents arrived back from 3.01 million short-term overseas trips (of less than 12 months) in the March 2025 year.

This was the first annual period to exceed three million arrivals by New Zealand-resident travellers since March 2020 (3.05 million) and was up from 2.84 million in the March 2024 year.

The increase was mainly driven by more trips to Australia, as well as Indonesia, China and Japan.

Liam Dann is business editor-at-large for the New Zealand Herald. He is a senior writer and columnist and also presents and produces videos and podcasts. He joined the Herald in 2003.