Number of people using the Internet in New Zealand
New Zealand: Number of people using the Internet was 4.95 million people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Number of people using the Internet in New Zealand, 1990–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2024, number of people using the internet in New Zealand stood at 4.95 million people. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 30.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people using the internet in New Zealand peaked at 4.95 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1990.
New Zealand ranks 101st of 208 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people using the Internet in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0 people | — |
| 1992 | 10,101 people | — |
| 1993 | 22,541 people | +123.2% |
| 1994 | 114,754 people | +409.1% |
| 1995 | 179,262 people | +56.2% |
| 1996 | 300,053 people | +67.4% |
| 1997 | 552,070 people | +84.0% |
| 1998 | 1.21 million people | +118.4% |
| 1999 | 1.59 million people | +32.0% |
| 2000 | 1.83 million people | +14.8% |
| 2001 | 2.07 million people | +13.0% |
| 2002 | 2.33 million people | +12.9% |
| 2003 | 2.46 million people | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 2.53 million people | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 2.59 million people | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 2.89 million people | +11.4% |
| 2007 | 2.95 million people | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 3.07 million people | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 3.43 million people | +11.8% |
| 2010 | 3.50 million people | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 3.56 million people | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 3.60 million people | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 3.68 million people | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 3.79 million people | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 3.93 million people | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 4.08 million people | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 4.22 million people | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 4.36 million people | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 4.47 million people | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 4.61 million people | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 4.68 million people | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 4.73 million people | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 4.85 million people | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 4.95 million people | +1.9% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 4.95 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.26 million people, 1.5× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 4.95 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 693,850 people, 7.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of people using the Internet in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +409.1% | 22,541 people | 114,754 people |
| 1993 | +123.2% | 10,101 people | 22,541 people |
| 1998 | +118.4% | 552,070 people | 1.21 million people |
| 1997 | +84.0% | 300,053 people | 552,070 people |
| 1996 | +67.4% | 179,262 people | 300,053 people |
| 1995 | +56.2% | 114,754 people | 179,262 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 441,766 people | 0 people | 1.59 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.61 million people | 1.83 million people | 3.43 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.92 million people | 3.50 million people | 4.47 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.76 million people | 4.61 million people | 4.95 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More science & technology data for New Zealand
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 130.09 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.28 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 6.78 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 24.92 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 3.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 5,684 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 5,684 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people using the internet in New Zealand?
- Number of people using the internet in New Zealand was 4.95 million people in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi.
- What is the highest number of people using the internet recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 4.95 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest number of people using the internet recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1990.
- How does New Zealand rank for number of people using the internet?
- New Zealand ranks 101st out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of people using the internet rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi, published as part of Number of people using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people who used the Internet in the last three months.