One person in every 1,600 lives in New Zealand

At 30 September 2011, New Zealand’s estimated resident population reached 4,414,400, which is 0.06 percent of the world’s population, Statistics New Zealand said today. The global population was recently projected by the United Nations (UN) to have passed seven billion.

New Zealand’s contribution to the global population is comparable to that of Croatia, Georgia, and Ireland.

New Zealand’s population grew by 33,500 (0.8 percent) during the September 2011 year.

"This is the lowest rate of population growth for a September year since 2000," Population Statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said. This growth was due to a natural increase (excess of births over deaths) of 32,800, and a net migration gain of 800.

"Over the last decade New Zealand’s population increased by just over half a million, up from 3,895,400 at 30 September 2001. This is an average annual growth rate of 1.3 percent, which is similar to the global average annual growth rate,” Mrs Blackburn said. The global population increased by around 800 million over the decade.

The world’s population had a median age of 29.2 years (2010 UN estimate), approximately 7.5 years younger than the median age of New Zealand's population – 36.8 years. At 30 September 2011, New Zealand had 97 males to every 100 females. In comparison, the sex ratio of the world population was 102 males to every 100 females (2010 UN estimate).