New Zealand's population has provisionally reached five million, Stats New Zealand said today.
Population insights senior manager Brooke Theyers called the milestone a "significant event for New Zealand".
"The global Covid-19 pandemic has caused unusual international travel and migration patterns in recent months. Net migration has been boosted by more New Zealand citizens returning home after living overseas," she said.
"It is most likely the five million milestone was reached by a migrant arriving by plane, but could have been reached by a newborn baby.
"It is also the fastest million in our history, taking 17 years after reaching four million in 2003."
It's believed the number was reached in March, but a precise date will be available after the population estimates are revised to fully incorporate 2018 Census and census coverage results later in 2020, as well as revisions to international migration estimates.
As at March 31 this year, the estimated resident population is provisionally 5,002,100.
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