Two Million Men and Two Million Women

Two Million Men and Two Million Women

The resident population of New Zealand was 4,072,500 at 30 September 2004, according to the latest population estimates released by Statistics New Zealand. Both the male and female populations exceeded the two million mark with estimated resident populations of 2,003,400 and 2,069,100, respectively. Both populations exceeded one million in 1952.

In the September 2004 year, the population growth was estimated to be 48,400 (1.2 percent), compared with 68,000 (1.7 percent) in the September 2003 year. The lower population growth during the September 2004 year was due to a fall in permanent and long-term migration.

Permanent and long-term arrivals exceeded departures by 17,800 in the September 2004 year (37 percent of the population growth), whereas in the September 2003 year the net gain from permanent and long-term migration was 40,400 (60 percent of the population growth).

Natural increase (excess of births over deaths) was 30,600 in the September 2004 year, an increase of 3,100 when compared with the September 2003 year (27,500). The population change for the September 2004 year is still higher than the average annual increase of 44,100 (1.2 percent) for September years from 1994 to 2004.

The population aged 65 years and over (65+) grew by 71,200 (17.1 percent) over the last decade, to reach 488,000 at 30 September 2004. Among age groups in the 65+ category, the estimated population growth for males was consistently higher than that for females between the 1994 and 2004 September years. Males and females aged 90 years and over recorded the largest growth during this 10-year period, up 77.0 and 62.6 percent, respectively.

The working-age population (15–64 years), which accounted for 66.3 percent of the population in the September 2004 year, was estimated to be 2,700,000 at 30 September 2004. This is an increase of 322,900 (13.6 percent) when compared with the September 1994 year. The population aged under 15 years grew by 46,600 (5.6 percent) during the same 10-year period, to reach 884,500 at 30 September 2004.

Brian Pink

Government Statistician

END

© Scoop Media