Number of New Zealand households projected to climb half a million: statistics

Nearly 2.3 million households are projected in New Zealand by 2043, an increase of nearly half a million from 1.8 million in 2018, the statistics department Stats NZ said on Wednesday.

The number of households in New Zealand is expected to grow on average by 0.9 percent a year over the 25-year projection period. The increased number of households reflects a growing population, an older population structure, and changes in household composition, Stats NZ said.

"Most households contain at least one family, and a family household can include more than one family," population estimates and projections manager Hamish Slack said in a statement.

Family households are projected to increase the fastest at about 1.1 percent a year, from 1.3 million in 2018 to 1.7 million in 2043, Slack said, adding that one-person households are also projected to increase on average by 0.7 percent a year, from 393,000 in 2018 to 465,000 in 2043.

"Growth in one-person households is mainly due to the increasing number of people at older ages," Slack said. In 2018, just under half of people who lived in one-person households were aged 65 and over, but this is projected to increase to nearly two-thirds by 2043.

Housing and rental affordability could impact on where young people choose to live, he said, and this might see them living with parents or other family members.

In 2018, 14 percent of people living with their parents were aged 20-34 years. This is projected to increase to 18 percent in 2043, statistics show.

The average number of people who live in a household is projected to decrease slightly, from 2.7 in 2018 to 2.6 in 2043, Slack said.

From 2001, the average household size has been 2.7 people. It was highest in 1886, at 5.2 people per household, dropping below four people in 1936, and below three people in 1986.