Median age in New Zealand
New Zealand: Median age was 37.28 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Median age in New Zealand, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 37.28 years for median age in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, median age in New Zealand peaked at 37.28 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 24.61 years, in 1970.
That places New Zealand 81st out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 27.75 years | 26.84 years | 28.43 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 25.26 years | 24.65 years | 26.51 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 25.34 years | 24.61 years | 26.51 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 28.29 years | 26.85 years | 29.76 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.47 years | 30.06 years | 32.98 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.47 years | 33.34 years | 35.67 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.27 years | 35.88 years | 36.51 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.9 years | 36.46 years | 37.28 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 78 Australia 37.75 years compare
- 79 British Virgin Islands 37.55 years compare
- 80 Reunion 37.43 years compare
- 82 Faroe Islands 37.26 years compare
- 83 Wallis and Futuna 37.17 years compare
- 84 Mauritius 36.93 years compare
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0091 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.67 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.67 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.67 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.938 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 85.66 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 86.42 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.69 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 85.55 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is median age in New Zealand?
- Median age in New Zealand was 37.28 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest median age recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 37.28 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest median age recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.61 years in 1970.
- How does New Zealand rank for median age?
- New Zealand ranks 81st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is median age rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.