New data released by Stats NZ show the extent to which young people dominate those departures.
Those aged 18 to 30 years made up 27,400 (38%) of the 72,000 migrant departures of New Zealand citizens in 2024.
The age with the highest loss of citizens was 25 – with a total of 2866 departures.
However, a high level of population loss for New Zealand citizens was concentrated around the younger workforce.
For 2024, annual departures by Kiwis exceeded 1000 in every age group from 18 to 39.
Based on the latest estimates available, 56% of migrant departures of New Zealand citizens were to Australia.
New Zealand had a net migration gain of just 27,100 in 2024 – one of the lowest levels in years (excluding the Covid years).
This was down from a net gain of 128,300 in 2023.
But broadly there were signs that the dropoff was stabilising.
New Zealand saw a net inflow of around 3,800 migrants in December, the highest monthly balance in a year, Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon noted.
Both arrivals and departures were more favourable for the month, he said.
“The most significant change in December was a substantial fall in foreign departures,” he said.
“We’d read this with caution, though: many migrants return home to visit their families at this time of year, and it’s harder than usual to distinguish between short-term and permanent movements.”
Aside from this, December saw a continuation of recent trends, he said.
“Foreign arrivals picked up for a fourth straight month, and while they’re well down from the peaks seen in 2023, they are running above pre-Covid levels.”
Meanwhile, departures of New Zealanders continued to slow from their highs, as they have been doing since May last year.
The net inflow of 27,000 people in the year to December, while still high, was down from 30,000 in the year to November.
There were 155,800 migrant arrivals in 2024, down from 229,900 in 2023, although the levels were still high by historical standards, Stats NZ said.
There were a record 128,700 migrant departures in 2024, up from 101,600 in 2023.
“Ups and downs in net migration are a feature of New Zealand’s history. These have been much larger in 2023 and 2024,” international migration statistics spokeswoman Sarah Drake said.
Annually, net migration rose by just over 100,000 in 2023 and fell by a similar amount in 2024. There was still a net migration gain overall.
“The main driver of the fall in net migration in 2024 was fewer migrant arrivals of non-New Zealand passport holders,” Drake said.
There was an annual net migration gain of 74,200 non-New Zealand citizens in 2024, down 97,400 from the net gain of 171,600 in 2023.
Citizens of India, the Philippines, and China accounted for two-thirds of the fall in annual net migration of non-New Zealand citizens.
“Changes in migration are typically due to a combination of factors,” Drake said.
“These include relative economic and labour market conditions between New Zealand and the rest of the world and immigration policy in New Zealand and other countries.”
Westpac forecasts a net inflow of 15,000 people over this year, rising to around 30,000 people in 2026.
“The risks around net migration are now looking more two-sided,” Gordon said.
“On the one hand, relatively weaker job prospects here compared to Australia could continue to support outflows, while on the other hand government policy is starting to turn back towards attracting skilled migrants.”
Liam Dann is business editor-at-large for the New Zealand Herald. He is a senior writer and columnist, and also presents and produces videos and podcasts. He joined the Herald in 2003.
