According to the latest census data, the Indian population in New Zealand has surpassed the Chinese population, becoming the country’s third-largest ethnic group. In 2023, the number of people from the Indian community reached 292,092, an increase of 22% since 2018.
The largest ethnic group in New Zealand remains European, with a population of 3,099,858, followed by Māori, numbering 887,493. The Chinese population currently ranks fourth, with a total of 279,039. At the same time, the Filipino population has seen significant growth, increasing by over 35,000 to a total of 108,297, representing an approximate 50% increase.
In terms of language usage, Punjabi has experienced the fastest growth in usage between 2018 and 2023, increasing by 45.1%. Additionally, Hindi is the fourth most spoken language in New Zealand, while Punjabi ranks ninth. Other languages that have seen significant increases include Tagalog (up 37.5%) and Afrikaans (up 32.7%).
As New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland is the most ethnically diverse region in the country, with a population of 1.66 million. Although Europeans make up half of the population, the proportion of Asians in Auckland is as high as 31.3%, significantly above the national average of 17.3%. The proportion of Pacific Islanders is 16.6%, compared to the national average of 8.9%. In Auckland, the Chinese community is the third-largest ethnic group, after Europeans and Māori, while the Indian population ranks fourth, increasing from 154,824 in 2018 to 175,794 in 2023, a growth of 13%.
Additionally, the census data indicates that among the permanent residents of New Zealand, 3.5 million were born in New Zealand, while 1.4 million were born overseas. Among the overseas-born population, those from the UK account for 4.2%, with both China and India contributing 2.9%. Since 2018, the Asian populations from India and the Philippines have grown by 22.1% (52,899 people) and 49.1% (35,685 people), respectively, accounting for about half of the increase in the Asian population.
