Asian ethnic population projected to increase – news story
11 September 2025
Around 33 percent of Aotearoa New Zealand’s population are likely to identify with Asian ethnicities in 2048, up from 19 percent in 2023, according to projections released by Stats NZ today.
Within the broad Asian grouping, those identifying with Indian ethnicities are projected to increase from 7 percent of New Zealand’s population in 2023 to around 12 percent in 2048. Over the same period, those identifying with Chinese ethnicities are projected to increase from 6 percent to around 8 percent.
The projections also indicate above average growth of the populations identifying with Māori, Pacific, and Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (MELAA) ethnicities over the next two decades. This continues the demographic trends of recent decades.
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