Net Migration Loss from New Zealand to Australia More Than Doubles in 2023

Passengers stand in check-in counters at Auckland International Airport in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 12, 2024. (Brett Phibbs/AFP via Getty Images)

New Zealand continues to lose a portion of its population to Australia, as the country’s net migration loss dipped to 27,000 in 2023.

New data from Stats NZ showed there were 44,500 migrant departures to Australia, and in turn, 17,500 migrant arrivals.

While the 2023 net migration loss was higher than the previous year’s figure of 14,600, it was well below the record loss of 43,700 in 2012.

“The annual record for migrant departures to Australia was 62,800 in June 2012,” said Tehseen Islam, a population indicators manager at Stats NZ.

It is worth noting that there has traditionally been an outflow of people from New Zealand to Australia, with an average rate of 30,000 people per year between 2004 and 2013, and 3,000 people per year between 2014 and 2019.

At the same time, Australia continues to be the main destination for New Zealand migrants.

Around 53 percent of the country’s 69,900 migrant departures in 2023 were to Australia.

However, this was below the 2012 record of 77 percent.

New Migration Patterns

There has been a growing trend of overseas-born New Zealand citizens migrating to Australia since the 2000s.

Among those coming to Australia in 2023, 36 percent were born outside New Zealand, up from 33 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic, and 22 percent between 2004 and 2011.

In comparison, the proportion of New Zealand’s population born overseas was only 27.4 percent in 2018.

Younger New Zealanders are more likely to move overseas as well.

In 2023, people between 20 and 39 years old accounted for 52 percent of New Zealand migrants, up from 38 percent in 2018.

Record Migration Gain from Other Nations

Despite the significant migration loss to Australia, New Zealand reported a record increase in migration from other parts of the world.

“There was a provisional net migration gain of 155,800 to New Zealand from the rest of the world (excluding Australia) in 2023,” Stats NZ said.

The figure was several times higher than the average rate of 46,100 between 2004 and 2019.

If subtracting the net migration loss to Australia, New Zealand gained 128,800 migrants last year.

Stats NZ said the change in migration was due to several reasons, including the relative economic and labour market conditions between New Zealand and the rest of the world.