Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in New Zealand
New Zealand: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 2,148 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in New Zealand, 1967–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
The most recent figure for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in New Zealand is 2,148, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and up 63.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in New Zealand peaked at 17,310 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1,313, in 2015.
That places New Zealand 116th out of 179 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 3,000 | — |
| 1968 | 2,000 | -33.3% |
| 1969 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 10,000 | +400.0% |
| 1979 | 10,000 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 10,000 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 10,600 | +6.0% |
| 1982 | 10,600 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 10,600 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 4,500 | -57.5% |
| 1985 | 4,600 | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 4,400 | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 4,200 | -4.5% |
| 1988 | 4,150 | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 4,666 | +12.4% |
| 1990 | 4,666 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 16,760 | +259.2% |
| 1992 | 17,310 | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 3,942 | -77.2% |
| 1994 | 3,668 | -7.0% |
| 1995 | 3,766 | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 3,790 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 3,652 | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 4,099 | +12.2% |
| 1999 | 4,801 | +17.1% |
| 2000 | 4,919 | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 5,251 | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 5,760 | +9.7% |
| 2003 | 5,796 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 5,334 | -8.0% |
| 2005 | 5,298 | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 4,878 | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 2,715 | -44.3% |
| 2008 | 2,702 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 3,285 | +21.6% |
| 2010 | 2,298 | -30.0% |
| 2011 | 1,916 | -16.6% |
| 2012 | 1,504 | -21.5% |
| 2013 | 1,388 | -7.7% |
| 2014 | 1,342 | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 1,313 | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 1,408 | +7.2% |
| 2017 | 1,465 | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 1,545 | +5.5% |
| 2019 | 1,709 | +10.6% |
| 2020 | 1,748 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 1,794 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 1,791 | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 1,837 | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 2,063 | +12.3% |
| 2025 | 2,148 | +4.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 2,148 is below the median for high income countries, which is 12,513, 17% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 2,148 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 155, 13.9× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | +400.0% | 2,000 | 10,000 |
| 1991 | +259.2% | 4,666 | 16,760 |
| 1993 | -77.2% | 17,310 | 3,942 |
| 1984 | -57.5% | 10,600 | 4,500 |
| 2007 | -44.3% | 4,878 | 2,715 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,333 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 3 |
| 1970s | 7,333 | 2,000 | 10,000 | 3 |
| 1980s | 6,832 | 4,150 | 10,600 | 10 |
| 1990s | 6,645 | 3,652 | 17,310 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,594 | 2,702 | 5,796 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,589 | 1,313 | 2,298 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,897 | 1,748 | 2,148 | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More social development data for New Zealand
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,148 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 58 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 58 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in New Zealand?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in New Zealand was 2,148 in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 17,310 in 1992.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,313 in 2015.
- How does New Zealand rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
- New Zealand ranks 116th out of 179 countries with data for 2025.
- Is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 63.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum with 148 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.
Computed from
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum with 148 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.