Number of children under 5 in New Zealand
New Zealand: Number of children under 5 was 298,070 people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
298,070 people
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
126th
of 236 countries
All-time high
316,253 people
in 2011
All-time low
230,640 people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children under 5 in New Zealand, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of children under 5 in New Zealand is 298,070 people, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in New Zealand peaked at 316,253 people in 2011 and was at its lowest, 230,640 people, in 1950.
New Zealand ranks 126th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Number of children under 5 in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 230,640 people | — |
| 1951 | 235,940 people | +2.3% |
| 1952 | 239,232 people | +1.4% |
| 1953 | 243,026 people | +1.6% |
| 1954 | 247,993 people | +2.0% |
| 1955 | 253,569 people | +2.2% |
| 1956 | 258,996 people | +2.1% |
| 1957 | 265,007 people | +2.3% |
| 1958 | 272,615 people | +2.9% |
| 1959 | 281,044 people | +3.1% |
| 1960 | 289,092 people | +2.9% |
| 1961 | 296,229 people | +2.5% |
| 1962 | 302,272 people | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 307,125 people | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 309,893 people | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 309,221 people | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 305,687 people | -1.1% |
| 1967 | 301,246 people | -1.5% |
| 1968 | 297,626 people | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 296,485 people | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 297,720 people | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 299,816 people | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 302,470 people | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 305,072 people | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 305,379 people | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 301,566 people | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 293,651 people | -2.6% |
| 1977 | 283,114 people | -3.6% |
| 1978 | 272,173 people | -3.9% |
| 1979 | 263,160 people | -3.3% |
| 1980 | 256,647 people | -2.5% |
| 1981 | 251,930 people | -1.8% |
| 1982 | 249,727 people | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 250,130 people | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 251,246 people | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 251,659 people | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 252,809 people | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 256,697 people | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 261,861 people | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 267,163 people | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 276,758 people | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 286,902 people | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 292,392 people | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 295,420 people | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 296,668 people | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 296,425 people | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 294,621 people | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 292,200 people | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 289,433 people | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 286,227 people | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 283,405 people | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 281,645 people | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 281,292 people | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 282,387 people | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 283,882 people | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 284,827 people | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 287,377 people | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 293,347 people | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 300,624 people | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 307,473 people | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 313,360 people | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 316,253 people | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 315,202 people | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 311,981 people | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 308,469 people | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 305,873 people | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 305,032 people | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 305,191 people | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 305,309 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 305,542 people | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 305,620 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 302,847 people | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 299,234 people | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 298,070 people | -0.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 298,070 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 127,928 people, 2.3× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 298,070 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 156,933 people, 1.9× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 252,806 people | 230,640 people | 281,044 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 301,488 people | 289,092 people | 309,893 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 292,412 people | 263,160 people | 305,379 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 254,987 people | 249,727 people | 267,163 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 290,705 people | 276,758 people | 296,668 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 288,626 people | 281,292 people | 307,473 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 309,221 people | 305,032 people | 316,253 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 301,443 people | 298,070 people | 305,620 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children under 5 in New Zealand?
- Number of children under 5 in New Zealand was 298,070 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 316,253 people in 2011.
- What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 230,640 people in 1950.
- How does New Zealand rank for number of children under 5?
- New Zealand ranks 126th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.