In 1820, the islands of present-day New Zealand had a population of approximately 100,000 people. This figure would fall until the early 1840s, partly as a result of European diseases brought by colonizers, and a series of destructive inter-tribal wars among the Māori peoples. These conflicts were named the Musket Wars due to the European weapons whose introduction instigated the conflicts, and the wars saw the deaths of between 20,000 and 40,000 Māori, from 1807 to 1837. After falling to just 82 thousand in the 1840s, the population would begin to rise again in 1841 following the establishment of New Zealand as an official British colony, with a strong promotion of European settlement by British citizens sponsored by the Church of England. European migration to New Zealand was low in these early decades, but increased in the mid-19th century, particularly following the discovery of gold in New Zealand’s South Island in the 1860s. This growth would continue throughout the 1870s, in part the result of a strong promotion of mass migration from Britain by Premier Julius Vogel’s administration.
Early 20th century
However, between 1881 and the 1920s, the New Zealand government heavily restricted Asiatic migration to the islands, resulting in a fall of population growth rate, which would remain until the Second World War. The country would experience a dip in population during the First World War, in which New Zealand would suffer approximately 18,000 military fatalities, and another 9,000 lost to the coinciding Spanish Flu epidemic. The population would stagnate again in the Second World War, which resulted in the death of almost 12,000 New Zealanders. In the years following the war, New Zealand would see a significant increase in population due to the mixture of a baby boom and a migrant spike from Europe and Asia, following a large demand for unskilled labor.
Recent decades
This increase continued for several decades, until international factors, such as the oil crises of 1973 and 1979, and the UK's accession to the European Economic Communities (which ended most of New Zealand's trade agreements with Britain; it's largest trade partner), greatly weakened New Zealand's economy in the 1970s. As a result, population growth stagnated during the 1970s, while economic problems persisted into the early 2000s. In contrast, the Great Recession of 2008 did not impact New Zealand as severely as most other developed nations, which allowed the economy to emerge as one of the fastest growing in the world, also leading to dropped unemployment levels and increased living standards. In 2020, with a population of almost five million people, New Zealand is regarded as one of the top countries in the world in terms of human development, quality of life and social freedoms.
Population of New Zealand from 1820 to 2020
(in thousands)
Characteristic
Population in thousands
2020
4,822.23
2019
4,783.06
2018
4,743.13
2017
4,702.03
2016
4,659.27
2015
4,614.53
2014
4,567.52
2013
4,518.52
2012
4,468.46
2011
4,418.67
2010
4,370.06
2009
4,323.34
2008
4,278.16
2007
4,233.05
2006
4,185.88
2005
4,135.35
2004
4,080.42
2003
4,022.07
2002
3,963.2
2001
3,907.94
2000
3,858.99
1999
3,818.13
1998
3,783.98
1997
3,752.36
1996
3,717.35
1995
3,674.94
1994
3,623.27
1993
3,564.47
1992
3,503.19
1991
3,446.17
1990
3,398.18
1989
3,360.96
1988
3,332.79
1987
3,310.75
1986
3,290.3
1985
3,268.23
1984
3,243.03
1983
3,215.73
1982
3,188.54
1981
3,164.82
1980
3,146.61
1979
3,135.3
1978
3,128.96
1977
3,122.41
1976
3,108.57
1975
3,082.62
1974
3,042.18
1973
2,989.41
1972
2,929.69
1971
2,870.82
1970
2,818.39
1969
2,774.36
1968
2,736.82
1967
2,702.68
1966
2,667.09
1965
2,626.65
1964
2,580.54
1963
2,530.19
1962
2,477.19
1961
2,424.06
1960
2,372.6
1959
2,323.4
1958
2,276.13
1957
2,229.83
1956
2,183.46
1955
2,136.39
1954
2,088.49
1953
2,040.24
1952
1,992.81
1951
1,947.93
1950
1,908.01
1949
1,870
1948
1,830
1947
1,800
1946
1,750
1945
1,700
1944
1,660
1943
1,640
1942
1,630
1941
1,630
1940
1,630
1939
1,620
1938
1,610
1937
1,590
1936
1,570
1935
1,560
1934
1,550
1933
1,540
1932
1,530
1931
1,510
1930
1,490
1929
1,470
1928
1,450
1927
1,430
1926
1,410
1925
1,380
1924
1,350
1923
1,330
1922
1,300
1921
1,270
1920
1,240
1919
1,200
1918
1,170
1917
1,150
1916
1,150
1915
1,150
1914
1,140
1913
1,120
1912
1,090
1911
1,070
1910
1,040
1909
1,020
1908
996
1907
970
1906
944
1905
920
1904
896
1903
873
1902
852
1901
835
1900
816
1899
798
1898
781
1897
764
1896
749
1895
734
1894
720
1893
707
1892
695
1891
682
1890
670
1889
658
1888
644
1887
630
1886
615
1885
600
1884
584
1883
565
1882
548
1881
529
1880
505
1879
485
1878
464
1877
443
1876
422
1875
401
1874
380
1873
359
1872
340
1871
320
1870
301
1869
282
1868
265
1867
248
1866
232
1865
217
1864
202
1863
190
1862
178
1861
167
1860
157
1859
147
1858
139
1857
131
1856
124
1855
117
1854
112
1853
107
1852
102
1851
98.4
1850
94.9
1849
92.1
1848
89.6
1847
87.5
1846
85.8
1845
84.4
1844
83.3
1843
82.6
1842
82.2
1841
82.2
1840
82.5
1839
83
1838
83.5
1837
84.2
1836
85
1835
85.9
1834
86.9
1833
88
1832
89.1
1831
90.4
1830
91.7
1829
93.2
1828
94.5
1827
95.6
1826
96.7
1825
97.6
1824
98.4
1823
99
1822
99.5
1821
99.8
1820
100
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Gapminder, & UN DESA. (August 31, 2019). Population of New Zealand from 1820 to 2020 (in thousands) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 01, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066999/population-new-zealand-historical/
Gapminder, und UN DESA. "Population of New Zealand from 1820 to 2020 (in thousands)." Chart. August 31, 2019. Statista. Accessed September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066999/population-new-zealand-historical/
Gapminder, UN DESA. (2019). Population of New Zealand from 1820 to 2020 (in thousands). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066999/population-new-zealand-historical/
Gapminder, and UN DESA. "Population of New Zealand from 1820 to 2020 (in Thousands)." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Aug 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066999/population-new-zealand-historical/
Gapminder & UN DESA, Population of New Zealand from 1820 to 2020 (in thousands) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066999/population-new-zealand-historical/ (last visited September 01, 2024)
Population of New Zealand from 1820 to 2020 (in thousands) [Graph], Gapminder, & UN DESA, August 31, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066999/population-new-zealand-historical/