Strategic Lens

Diaspora and mobility: India and New Zealand

First country

Second country

In 2024, 150 thousand people born in India lived in New Zealand.

Benefits

  • BothThe number of people born in India who live in New Zealand rose from 9 thousand in 1990 to 150 thousand in 2024.

Sources: UN DESA International Migrant Stock 2024 (retrieved 25 September 2026)

Last updated on 26 September 2026

The numbers

People born in India living in New Zealand

people · 1990 to 2024, mid-year estimates

1990: 9,270Low 9,270 / High 149,6772024: 149,677

19909,270
199512,386
200019,797
200540,298
201058,441
201591,412
2020129,231
2024149,677

Sources: UN DESA International Migrant Stock 2024 (retrieved 25 September 2026)

Data retrieved 26 September 2026

More on this relationship

Benefits

  • IndiaThe 2026 agreement improves visa access for Indian professionals, skilled workers and students.
  • BothThe New Zealand India Research Institute was set up in 2012, and the India-New Zealand Education Council was created at its opening.

Constraints

  • BothNew Zealand First opposed the agreement partly because it feared more Indian immigration.

Sources: Wikipedia: India–New Zealand relations (revision of 23 September 2026)