Adoption of communication technologies in New Zealand
New Zealand: Adoption of communication technologies was 564,000 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
564,000
Change on year
down 14.9%
World rank
82nd
of 212 countries
All-time high
1.88 million
in 2010
All-time low
537,035
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Adoption of communication technologies in New Zealand, 1960–2024
Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 564,000 for adoption of communication technologies in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.9% on the previous year and down 69.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adoption of communication technologies in New Zealand peaked at 1.88 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 537,035, in 1960.
New Zealand ranks 82nd of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Adoption of communication technologies in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 537,035 | — |
| 1961 | 537,035 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 537,035 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 537,035 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 537,035 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 715,000 | +33.1% |
| 1966 | 715,000 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 715,000 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 715,000 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 715,000 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 841,000 | +17.6% |
| 1971 | 841,000 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 841,000 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 841,000 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 841,000 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 987,000 | +17.4% |
| 1976 | 1.05 million | +6.9% |
| 1977 | 1.07 million | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 1.09 million | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 1.10 million | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 1.14 million | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 1.17 million | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 1.20 million | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 1.23 million | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 1.26 million | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 1.30 million | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 1.33 million | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 1.37 million | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 1.41 million | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 1.44 million | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 1.47 million | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 1.49 million | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 1.53 million | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 1.59 million | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 1.66 million | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 1.72 million | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 1.73 million | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 1.78 million | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 1.81 million | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 1.83 million | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 1.83 million | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 1.82 million | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 1.76 million | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 1.80 million | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 1.80 million | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 1.73 million | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 1.76 million | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 1.75 million | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 1.75 million | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 1.87 million | +6.9% |
| 2010 | 1.88 million | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 1.88 million | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.88 million | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.85 million | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 1.85 million | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.85 million | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.76 million | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 1.79 million | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 1.07 million | -40.1% |
| 2019 | 967,000 | -9.9% |
| 2020 | 844,000 | -12.7% |
| 2021 | 908,000 | +7.6% |
| 2022 | 758,000 | -16.5% |
| 2023 | 663,000 | -12.5% |
| 2024 | 564,000 | -14.9% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 564,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 445,236, 1.3× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 564,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 81,260, 6.9× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Adoption of communication technologies in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | -40.1% | 1.79 million | 1.07 million |
| 1965 | +33.1% | 537,035 | 715,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 626,018 | 537,035 | 715,000 | 10 |
| 1970s | 951,259 | 841,000 | 1.10 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.28 million | 1.14 million | 1.44 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.66 million | 1.47 million | 1.83 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.79 million | 1.73 million | 1.87 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.68 million | 967,000 | 1.88 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 747,400 | 564,000 | 908,000 | 5 |
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 adoption of communication technologies in New Zealand?
- Adoption of communication technologies in New Zealand was 564,000 in 2024, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest adoption of communication technologies recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1.88 million in 2010.
- What is the lowest adoption of communication technologies recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 537,035 in 1960.
- How does New Zealand rank for adoption of communication technologies?
- New Zealand ranks 82nd out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adoption of communication technologies rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Adoption of communication technologies. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).