New Zealand experiencing some of its fastest population growth in last decade

Figures released by Stats NZ on Wednesday show the population increase since 2018 is roughly equivalent to adding two cities the size of Hamilton. Photo / Getty Images

By RNZ

In the last decade New Zealand has experienced some of its fastest population growth, with 5.3 million people now living in Aotearoa.

Figures released by Stats NZ on Wednesday show the population increase since 2018 is roughly equivalent to adding two cities the size of Hamilton.

Stats NZ population analyst Kim Dunstan said New Zealand’s population had grown by an average of 1.3% a year since 2018, with the South Island growing at a slightly faster rate of 1.4% a year.

It is the first population estimate to fully incorporate the 2023 Census and 2023 Post-Enumeration Survey results.

“Over the last decade, New Zealand’s experienced some of its fastest population growth in its history, driven by international migration,” Dunstan said.

In the five years to December 2023, New Zealand’s population grew from 4.94 million to 5.31 million.

It took more than two decades for the North Island population to increase from 3 to 4 million, by late 2023 and over the same time, the South Island population increased by almost 300,000 people.

More than 4m people now live in the North Island - with over 2.5 million residing in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty.

Those regions account for 62% of the country’s growth since 2018 and along with Tasman and Canterbury, are the only regions that grew faster than the country as a whole.

Across Auckland, Papakura was the fastest growing area, at 5% a year between 2018 and 2024.

Duncan said Canterbury’s Selwyn District experienced the biggest growth at 5.1% a year followed by the Queenstown Lakes District at 3.7% a year.

He said that growth was mainly driven by internal migration, with some of the fastest-growing parts of New Zealand on the outskirts of major cities.

In contrast, he said there were population losses in some areas, including the Chatham Islands which fell by an estimated 80 people to 610 residents in 2024.

In Wellington City, the population also decreased from 211,200 in 2018 to 209,900 in 2024.

- RNZ