Auckland, June 4 -- New Zealand's population is set to exceed 6 million by 2040, driven mainly by migration, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Wednesday.
The 6-million projected population is up from 5.3 million currently, with international migration expected to remain the dominant driver of growth, Stats NZ said.
Two-thirds of the forecast increase will come from net migration, which is the difference between arrivals and departures, while natural growth (births minus deaths) will contribute the rest, it said.
Projections show the population could reach around 7 million by 2060 and nearly 8 million by the late 2070s. However, the country is also aging rapidly. The median age is expected to climb from 38 today to ...