Indians are the largest ethnic group after New Zealand European and Māori, and Panjabi is the fastest growing language in Aotearoa New Zealand, according to the latest data.
The census data 2023 released yesterday (3 October) shows New Zealand continues to become more culturally diverse.
The data gives more understanding of the richness of ethnic diversity within New Zealand and the way it is changing over time.
After New Zealand European and Māori, Indians are the largest ethnic group with their numbers at 292,092 – 5.8 percent of total population(see table below).
While most of the population were born here, New Zealand was also home to people born in a diverse range of countries.
“Just under 30 percent of New Zealanders were born overseas, and the census recorded well over 200 different birthplaces,” Deputy Government Statistician and Deputy Chief Executive Insights and Statistics, Rachael Milicich said.
“Pretty much every part of the world is represented here, from people born in Iceland in the north, to Argentina in the south.”
Of the census usually resident population count, 3.5 million people were born in New Zealand and 1.4 million were born overseas.
People born in England made up 4.2 percent of the population, followed by China and India at 2.9 percent respectively. Of those born overseas, the Philippines had the largest numerical increase between 2018 and 2023, growing by 31,632 people (a 46.8 percent increase).
According to the 2023 Census, the birthplace of 142,920 was India – a jump from 67,176 in 2013 and 117,348 in 2018.
With a wide range of ethnicities that spoke over 150 languages, among the most widely spoken languages, the growth between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses was fastest for Panjabi, which is spoken in India and Pakistan (up 45.1 percent or 15,429 people), Tagalog, a Filipino language (up 37.5 percent or 16,239 people), and Afrikaans (up 32.7 percent or 12,075 people).Read More...
