Census Snapshot: Asian Peoples

Highlights of the 2001 Census relating to Asian peoples include:

Asian Ethnic Groups

  • of the usually resident population identified with one or more of the Asian ethnic groups in the 2001 Census (237,459 people). In 1991, 3% of the population (99,756 people) identified with one or more of the Asian ethnic groups.
  • the broad category of “Asian”, there are many individual ethnic groups with distinct characteristics. In the 2001 Census, 44% identified with the Chinese ethnic group, 26% with the Indian ethnic group, 8% Korean, 5% Filipino, 4% Japanese, 3% Sri Lankan, 2% Cambodian, 2% Thai, and 8% with other Asian ethnic groups. (Note that people could give more than one response; therefore, these percentages do not add to 100.)
  • in 10 people identifying with the Asian ethnic group also identified with a non-Asian ethnic group such as European, Maori or Pacific peoples.
  • 2001, over three-quarters (78%) of the NZ resident Asian population were born overseas – up from 71% in 1991.
  • the 183,615 Asian people who were born overseas, nearly three-quarters had lived in NZ for less than 10 years.
  • those Asian people who had been living in NZ for less than 10 years, over half (55%) were born in North-East Asia, while a further 18% were born in South-East Asia, and 15% were born in Southern Asia. Females comprised 54% of those who had arrived in NZ over the last decade.
  • two-thirds of the Asian population lived in the Auckland urban area with the majority residing in central and southern Auckland. A further 11% lived in the Wellington urban area, and 7% lived in the Christchurch urban area.
  • Asian ethnic group is relatively youthful compared with the total NZ population. In 2001, 21% of the Asian population was in the 15-24 years age group, compared with 14% of the total NZ population.
  • percent of Asian people in the 15-24 years age group said they had participated in a full-time or part-time study course in the four weeks preceding the 2001 Census, compared with 44% of the total NZ population.
  • the 55,717 applications approved by the NZ Immigration Service for student residence in the year to June 2001, 33% were from China and 16% were from South Korea. A further 22% were from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong combined.
  • relatively high proportion of Asian people who were studying is reflected in their low participation in the labour force. Just 57% of Asian adults were either in paid employment, or available and looking for paid employment in the week preceding the 2001 Census, compared with 67% of the total NZ population.
  • their younger age structure, those in the Asian ethnic group were more likely than the total NZ population to hold a degree or higher level qualification: 23% versus 12%, respectively.
  • Asian people in employment were marginally more likely to be working in white collar occupations: 43% of Asian adults worked as legislators, administrators and managers; professionals; or technicians and associate professionals, compared with 40% of the total NZ population.
  • median annual income of Asian people aged 15 years and over was $10,400 in the year to March 2001, compared with $18,500 for the total NZ population. The income difference reflects the younger age structure of the Asian population, the high proportion studying, and their lower labour force participation.
  • in the Asian population were far more likely than the total NZ population to live in a household with access to the Internet (62% and 43%, respectively).

Chinese Ethnic Group

  • Chinese ethnic group is the largest Asian ethnic group, comprising 44% of the Asian population and 3% of the total NZ population in 2001.
  • of those identifying with the Chinese ethnic group were born in NZ.
  • the 78,519 people in the Chinese ethnic group who were born overseas, 12% had lived in NZ for less than one year. The majority of these people were under 25 years of age.
  • of all the Asian ethnic groups, the Chinese ethnic group experienced the largest numerical increase in population between 1991 and 2001, up 59,787 or 133%.
  • median annual income of the NZ-born Chinese population ($20,200) was higher than the median annual income for the overseas-born Chinese population ($7,900) and the total NZ population ($18,500). This reflects the higher labour force participation rate of NZ-born Chinese (75%) compared with both the overseas-born Chinese population (45%) and the total NZ population (67%).

Indian Ethnic Group

  • Indian ethnic group had the second highest numerical increase in population between 1991 and 2001 (after the Chinese ethnic group), up 31,194 or 102%.
  • 3 in every 10 people (29%) identifying with the Indian ethnic group were born in NZ, the highest proportion among all the Asian ethnic groups.
  • than half (53%) of the overseas-born Indian population were born outside of the Asia region. This was the lowest proportion born outside Asia of all the Asian ethnic groups.
  • 77%, the NZ-born Indian population had the highest labour force participation rate of all the Asian ethnic groups.

Korean Ethnic Group

  • of all the Asian ethnic groups, the Korean group experienced the largest percentage increase in population between 1991 and 2001. There were 19,023 people who identified with the Korean ethnic group in 2001, more than 20 times the 930 people who identified with this group in 1991.
  • 5% of those identifying with the Korean ethnic group were born in NZ.

Filipino Ethnic Group

  • 2 out of every 3 people identifying with the Filipino ethnic group were women (64%). Of all the Asian ethnic groups, the Filipino ethnic group had the highest proportion of women.
  • of all the Asian ethnic groups, adults in the Filipino ethnic group had the highest proportion of people with bachelor or higher degree qualifications (41%). Women were also more likely than men in this ethnic group to hold a degree (42% and 39%, respectively).

Japanese Ethnic Group

  • relatively high proportion of people in the Japanese ethnic group had household access to the Internet in comparison with the total NZ population (65% and 43%, respectively).
  • people were more likely to live in areas outside the Auckland urban area than people in the other major Asian ethnic groups – 59% lived outside Auckland urban area compared with just 37% of the total Asian ethnic group. Nineteen percent of Japanese people lived in the Christchurch urban area.

Sri Lankan Ethnic Group

  • of all the Asian ethnic groups, those people identifying with the Sri Lankan ethnic group were most likely to hold a formal educational qualification (97%).
  • Lankan people had the highest levels of household Internet access of all the Asian ethnic groups (78%).

Cambodian Ethnic Group

  • the 10 years between 1991 and 2001, the number of Cambodian people living in NZ has increased by 948 or 22% to reach 5,265 in 2001.
  • relatively low proportion of Cambodians were studying in the four weeks preceding the 2001 Census, compared with other Asian ethnic groups (19% versus 26%). The relatively low proportion studying, coupled with the high proportion of permanent residents coming to NZ under the “family sponsored scheme” (97% in the year to June 2001), suggests many Cambodians have come to NZ for family reunification reasons.

Thai Ethnic Group

  • Thai ethnic group had the second highest percentage increase in population between 1991 and 2001 (after the Korean ethnic group). There were 4,554 people who identified with the Thai ethnic group in 2001, over four times the 1,047 people who identified with this group in 1991.
  • in the Thai ethnic group were more likely than men in this ethnic group to hold a degree (17% and 14%, respectively).

2001 Census releases, along with additional information, are available free on the Statistics NZ website - www.stats.govt.nz - under "Census 2001". You are welcome to reproduce and publish this information provided you acknowledge Statistics NZ as the source.

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