Population growth rate in New Zealand

New Zealand: Population growth rate was 0.8% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0.8%
Change on year
up 8.5%
World rank
124th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.1%
in 1990
All-time low
-0.1%
in 1978
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Population growth rate in New Zealand, 1950–2023

0123195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

New Zealand recorded 0.8% for population growth rate in 2023.

That represents a change of up 8.5% on the previous year and down 32.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population growth rate in New Zealand peaked at 3.1% in 1990 and was at its lowest, -0.1%, in 1978.

New Zealand ranks 124th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 2.2% 1.9% 2.5% 10
1960s 1.7% 1.0% 2.2% 10
1970s 1.1% -0.1% 2.1% 10
1980s 0.6% 0.3% 1.1% 10
1990s 1.4% 0.5% 3.1% 10
2000s 1.2% 0.6% 1.9% 10
2010s 1.5% 0.7% 2.2% 10
2020s 0.8% 0.2% 1.3% 4

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 121 Dominican Republic 0.9% compare
  2. 122 Brunei 0.8% compare
  3. 123 Philippines 0.8% compare
  4. 125 Indonesia 0.8% compare
  5. 126 Netherlands 0.8% compare
  6. 126 Singapore 0.8% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

Frequently asked questions

What is population growth rate in New Zealand?
Population growth rate in New Zealand was 0.8% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population growth rate recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 1990.
What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was -0.1% in 1978.
How does New Zealand rank for population growth rate?
New Zealand ranks 124th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is population growth rate rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Population growth rate. 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

Indicator
Population growth rate
Unit
%
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

The annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.