Population density in New Zealand
New Zealand: Population density was 19.75 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
19.75 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
185th
of 216 countries
All-time high
19.75 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
9.19 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Population density in New Zealand, 1961–2023
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population density in New Zealand is 19.75 people per sq. km of land area, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in New Zealand peaked at 19.75 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9.19 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
New Zealand ranks 185th of 216 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Population density in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 9.19 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 9.43 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1963 | 9.62 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 9.82 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 9.98 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1966 | 10.16 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 1967 | 10.35 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 10.44 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 10.53 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 10.67 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 10.84 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 11.03 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 11.25 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 11.48 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 11.71 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 11.81 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 11.85 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 11.85 people per sq. km of land area | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 11.81 people per sq. km of land area | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 11.82 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 11.87 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 11.99 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 12.15 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 12.26 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 12.33 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 12.33 people per sq. km of land area | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 12.44 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 12.47 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 12.53 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 12.65 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 13.27 people per sq. km of land area | +5.0% |
| 1992 | 13.41 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 13.57 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 13.75 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 13.95 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 14.17 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 14.36 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 14.49 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 14.56 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 14.65 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 14.74 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 15 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 15.29 people per sq. km of land area | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 15.52 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 15.7 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 15.89 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 16.04 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 16.18 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 16.34 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 16.52 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 16.65 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 16.74 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 16.87 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 17.15 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 17.51 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 17.9 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 18.28 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 18.61 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 18.88 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 19.26 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 19.31 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 19.3 people per sq. km of land area | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 19.75 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.95 people per sq. km of land area | 9.19 people per sq. km of land area | 10.53 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 11.43 people per sq. km of land area | 10.67 people per sq. km of land area | 11.85 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.22 people per sq. km of land area | 11.82 people per sq. km of land area | 12.53 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.82 people per sq. km of land area | 12.65 people per sq. km of land area | 14.56 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.54 people per sq. km of land area | 14.65 people per sq. km of land area | 16.34 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.51 people per sq. km of land area | 16.52 people per sq. km of land area | 18.88 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.41 people per sq. km of land area | 19.26 people per sq. km of land area | 19.75 people per sq. km of land area | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 182 Papua New Guinea 22.94 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 183 Niger 20.65 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 184 Bhutan 20.62 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 186 Mali 19.48 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 187 Algeria 19.38 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 188 Uruguay 19.36 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for New Zealand
- Population in the largest city 38.3% (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 6.88 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.3214 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.71 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 1.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 6.35 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.71 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.95 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 202.99 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in New Zealand?
- Population density in New Zealand was 19.75 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 19.75 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.19 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does New Zealand rank for population density?
- New Zealand ranks 185th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population density rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.