New Zealand is a Pacific island country centred on the North and South Islands. Its capital is Wellington.
Oceania and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Wellington; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapNew Zealand’s two main islands have contrasting physical regions. The South Island is dominated by the Southern Alps and associated valleys and glaciers. The North Island includes volcanic plateaus, hills and broad lowland areas, with many smaller islands beyond them.
Milford Sound is a steep-sided fiord shaped by glaciation. Tongariro represents active volcanic terrain in the North Island. Both differ from agricultural plains, coastal dunes and native forest elsewhere in the country.
New Zealand is broadly temperate but has strong regional contrasts. Mountain ranges, prevailing winds and latitude create major differences in rainfall and temperature.
Oceanic weather and mountain barriers create strong rainfall contrasts, especially across the Southern Alps. Forest, alpine, wetland and coastal habitats support distinctive species. Earthquakes and volcanic activity reflect the country’s position across active tectonic boundaries.
Blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant, with four five-pointed red stars edged in white centered in the right half of the flag
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · New Zealand legislation · English Language Act 2026
Steep glacially carved mountains rise above the water in Fiordland.
Photo: Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Volcanic terrain shapes this part of New Zealand’s North Island.
Photo: Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
English, te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language are official languages. English’s longstanding use was given explicit statutory recognition by the English Language Act 2026.
Samoan, Mandarin, Hindi, Tongan and many other community languages are also spoken. Māori is the Indigenous Polynesian language, while New Zealand Sign Language is a distinct language of the Deaf community rather than signed English.
Sources: New Zealand Legislation · English Language Act 2026 · CIA World Factbook · archived profile
A marae is a communal meeting place where welcomes, discussion, ceremonies and performances take place. Many are connected with particular iwi, hapū or communities. Te Papa’s contemporary marae illustrates how these traditions can also inform modern architecture and public cultural spaces.
Māori settled Aotearoa New Zealand centuries before European colonisation. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and many Māori rangatira; differences between its texts and breaches of its promises remain central to New Zealand’s history. Self-government and independence developed gradually, including dominion status in 1907 and adoption of the Statute of Westminster in 1947.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · New Zealand legislation · English Language Act 2026
Services form the largest part of the economy. Dairy products, meat, forestry and horticulture are important exports, alongside tourism and other services. Processing agricultural products connects farming with manufacturing. Distance from major markets, international commodity prices and transport costs influence trade.
Food and dairy processing, forestry products, horticulture, manufacturing and services.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · New Zealand legislation · English Language Act 2026
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,810,700 | 2.811 |
| 1980 | 3,112,900 | 3.113 |
| 1990 | 3,329,800 | 3.330 |
| 2000 | 3,857,700 | 3.858 |
| 2010 | 4,350,700 | 4.351 |
| 2020 | 5,072,400 | 5.072 |
| 2025 | 5,324,700 | 5.325 |
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 87,852,601,486 | 87.853 |
| 1991 | 86,907,423,909 | 86.907 |
| 1992 | 87,864,207,159 | 87.864 |
| 1993 | 93,473,133,875 | 93.473 |
| 1994 | 98,251,175,353 | 98.251 |
| 1995 | 102,905,098,515 | 102.905 |
| 1996 | 106,600,255,478 | 106.600 |
| 1997 | 108,812,760,650 | 108.813 |
| 1998 | 109,743,314,968 | 109.743 |
| 1999 | 115,650,965,471 | 115.651 |
| 2000 | 118,968,749,813 | 118.969 |
| 2001 | 123,032,216,234 | 123.032 |
| 2002 | 128,833,364,776 | 128.833 |
| 2003 | 134,921,868,357 | 134.922 |
| 2004 | 140,440,895,648 | 140.441 |
| 2005 | 145,149,814,896 | 145.150 |
| 2006 | 149,176,913,570 | 149.177 |
| 2007 | 153,746,384,755 | 153.746 |
| 2008 | 152,169,544,390 | 152.170 |
| 2009 | 152,108,281,106 | 152.108 |
| 2010 | 154,347,048,880 | 154.347 |
| 2011 | 157,657,022,029 | 157.657 |
| 2012 | 161,287,176,328 | 161.287 |
| 2013 | 165,423,928,009 | 165.424 |
| 2014 | 171,742,023,963 | 171.742 |
| 2015 | 178,147,457,243 | 178.147 |
| 2016 | 184,816,451,391 | 184.816 |
| 2017 | 190,944,384,996 | 190.944 |
| 2018 | 197,287,932,986 | 197.288 |
| 2019 | 201,872,346,390 | 201.872 |
| 2020 | 201,386,003,377 | 201.386 |
| 2021 | 210,043,909,985 | 210.044 |
| 2022 | 217,070,337,673 | 217.070 |
| 2023 | 221,007,764,663 | 221.008 |
| 2024 | 219,087,820,768 | 219.088 |
| 2025 | 220,101,916,575 | 220.102 |
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
A parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The Governor-General represents the monarch and the Prime Minister leads the government. Parliament has a single elected House of Representatives, chosen using a mixed-member proportional electoral system.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · New Zealand legislation · English Language Act 2026
Three questions about New Zealand.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · New Zealand legislation · English Language Act 2026
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
