New Zealand

Quick Facts

Capital

Wellington

Population

5,161,211 (2024 est.)

Area

268,838 sq km

Government

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Languages

English (de facto official) 95.4%, Maori (de jure official) 4%, Samoan 2.2%, Northern Chinese 2%, Hindi 1.5%, French 1.2%, Yue 1.1%, New Zealand Sign Language (de jure official) 0.5%, other or not stated 17.2% (2018 est.)

Religions

Christian 37.3% (Catholic 10.1%, Anglican 6.8%, Presbyterian and Congregational 5.2%, Pentecostal 1.8%, Methodist 1.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 1.2%, other 10.7%), Hindu 2.7%, Maori 1.3%, Muslim, 1.3%, Buddhist 1.1%, other religion 1.6% (includes Judaism, Spiritualism and New Age religions, Baha'i, Asian religions other than Buddhism), no religion 48.6%, objected to answering 6.7% (2018 est.)

Ethnic Groups

European 64.1%, Maori 16.5%, Chinese 4.9%, Indian 4.7%, Samoan 3.9%, Tongan 1.8%, Cook Islands Maori 1.7%, English 1.5%, Filipino 1.5%, New Zealander 1%, other 13.7% (2018 est.)

Currency

New Zealand dollars (NZD)

Life Expectancy

82.9 years (2024 est.)

Internet Domain

.nz

Climate

temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Terrain

predominately mountainous with large coastal plains

Natural Resources

natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone

Major Exports

milk, wood, beef, butter, sheep and goat meat (2023)

Source: CIA World Factbook (public domain)