2001 Census: Asian people (2001) - reference report

The Asian population in New Zealand grew rapidly in the decade to 2001, with Asian people now forming a significant part of the New Zealand population. Yet within the broad category of ‘Asian’, there are many individual ethnic groups with distinct demographic characteristics.

As well as covering the Asian population as a whole, this report also presents statistics on the eight largest Asian ethnic groups in New Zealand: Chinese, Indian, Korean, Filipino, Japanese, Sri Lankan, Cambodian and Thai. The Chinese and Indian ethnic groups, which are by far the largest Asian ethnic groups, are also split by birthplace into New Zealand-born and overseas-born populations. References to the Indian ethnic group include individuals who reported Fijian Indian/Indo-Fijian ethnicity. The analysis is based on the Asian ethnic group(s) census usually resident population count, which excludes short-term visitors. Comparisons with the total New Zealand population incorporate figures from the National Summary.

Population

In 2001, 6.6 percent (237,459) of the census usually resident New Zealand population identified as belonging to one or more Asian ethnic groups. This represented an increase of 37 percent (63,957) since 1996 – a lower level of growth than between 1991 and 1996 when the Asian population increased by 74 percent (73,743). Over the whole decade, the Asian population in New Zealand has more than doubled from 99,756 in 1991 when it formed 3 percent of the total New Zealand population.

The Chinese ethnic group is the largest Asian ethnic group in New Zealand, comprising 44 percent of the Asian population and 3 percent of the total New Zealand population in 2001. The next largest is the Indian ethnic group (26 percent of the Asian population) followed by the Korean (8 percent), Filipino (5 percent), Japanese (4 percent), Sri Lankan (3 percent), Cambodian (2 percent) and Thai (2 percent) ethnic groups. As figure 1 shows, the Chinese ethnic group experienced the largest increase in population between 1991 and 2001 (an increase of 59,790 or 133 percent), followed by the Indian ethnic group (up 31,197 or 102 percent). Over the same period, the Japanese and Filipino populations grew by 7,035 and 6,174, respectively.

Proportionately, the Korean ethnic group experienced the highest growth over the decade, increasing by more than 20 times from 930 in 1991 to 19,023 in 2001. The Thai ethnic group also experienced a large percentage increase of 335 percent (an increase of 3,507 people) during this period.

Figure 1

Selected Asian Ethnic Group Populations, 1991 and 2001

Ninety percent of the Asian population reported their ethnicity or ethnicities as being solely Asian. Eight percent of people who reported an Asian ethnicity also reported a European ethnicity, while 3 percent reported a Pacific ethnicity. In 2001, 3 percent of the Asian ethnic group also stated Māori as their ethnicity.

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Age and Sex

The Asian population is relatively youthful. As figure 2 illustrates, greater proportions are in the younger age groups and smaller proportions are in the older age groups compared with the total population. Although there are similar proportions of children in the Asian and total New Zealand populations (24 percent and 23 percent, respectively), young people (those aged 15-24 years) made up a larger share of the Asian population. In 2001, those aged 15-24 years comprised 21 percent (50,991) of the Asian population – up from 18 percent (18,348) in 1991. This age group comprised 14 percent of the total New Zealand population in 2001. Conversely, people aged 65 years and over accounted for 4 percent of the Asian population and 12 percent of the total New Zealand population.

In 2001, the median age of the Asian population in New Zealand was 28.3, an increase from 26.7 in 1991, but still lower than the comparable figure for the total New Zealand population (34.8 years).

Figure 2

Age Structure of the Asian and Total New Zealand Populations, 2001

The Asian ethnic groups with the lowest median ages in 2001 were the Korean (24.6 years) and Cambodian groups (24.8 years), while the Sri Lankan and Filipino groups had the highest median ages (33.3 years and 31.5 years, respectively). The Thai ethnic group had a median age similar to that of the total Asian population (28.0 years). Although the median age of the Chinese ethnic group was 28.8 years, the overseas-born Chinese population had a much higher median age (34.2 years) than the New Zealand born Chinese population (12.4 years). Over half (56 percent) of New Zealand-born Chinese were aged under 15 years in 2001, reflecting the fact that new immigrants often start New Zealand-born families. Similarly, the median age of the overseas-born Indian population was much higher than that of the New Zealand-born Indian population (34.6 years and 11.0 years, respectively). In 2001, the Indian ethnic group as a whole had a median age of 29.0 years.

Females outnumber males in the Asian ethnic group, comprising 53 percent of the Asian population in 2001. The largest sex imbalances occur among the Filipino, Thai and Japanese populations, in which females comprise 64 percent, 63 percent and 62 percent respectively.

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Geographical Distribution

The vast majority of Asian people are urban dwellers. In 2001, 94 percent were living in main urban areas (areas with populations greater than 30,000). Almost two-thirds (149,121) of the Asian population were living in the Auckland urban area, with the majority (107,802) concentrated in central and southern Auckland. The next largest concentration of Asian people was in the Wellington urban area (11 percent), followed by Christchurch (7 percent) and Hamilton (4 percent). Eighty-eight percent of the Asian population was living in the North Island in 2001.

Among the Asian ethnic groups, the Korean ethnic group was the most likely to live in the Auckland urban area (69 percent). The overseas-born Indian and overseas-born Chinese populations were also highly concentrated in Auckland (70 percent and 69 percent, respectively). The Japanese ethnic group was least likely to be living in Auckland (41 percent), with 19 percent (1,878) of Japanese people based in the Christchurch urban area.

Birthplace

For the purposes of this report, the Asia region extends from Afghanistan in the west to Indonesia in the east.

In 2001, over three-quarters (78 percent) of the usually resident Asian population was born overseas – an increase from 71 percent in 1991. The majority (85 percent) of the overseas-born Asian population in New Zealand was born in the Asia region – an exception being the Indian ethnic group. In 2001, over half (53 percent) of the overseas-born Indian population in New Zealand was born outside of Asia.

The Asian ethnic groups with the highest proportions of New Zealand-born people were the Indian (29 percent) and the Chinese (25 percent) ethnic groups, as is shown in figure 3. In 2001, almost a fifth of the Cambodian (19 percent) and Filipino (18 percent) ethnic groups were New Zealand born. Members of the Korean ethnic group were the least likely to be born in New Zealand (5 percent).

Figure 3

Birthplace of the Major Asian Ethnic Groups in New Zealand, 2001

Nearly three-quarters (125,085) of the overseas-born Asian population had been in New Zealand for less than 10 years in 2001. Just under half (82,086) of the overseas-born population had been in New Zealand for less than five years, while 14 percent (24,723) had arrived in the 12 months preceding the 2001 Census. The Chinese ethnic group had the highest number of people who had been in New Zealand for less than a year (9,165) – the majority of whom (60 percent) were aged under 25 years; next largest were the Indian (5,349), Korean (3,822) and Japanese (2,316) ethnic groups.

Of those Asian people who had been living in New Zealand for less than ten years, over half (55 percent) were born in North-East Asia, while a further 18 percent were born in South-East Asia and 15 percent in Southern Asia. Females formed 54 percent of those who had arrived in New Zealand between 1991 and 2001.

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Language

English is by far the most widely spoken language among the usually resident Asian population in New Zealand. In 2001, 85 percent of Asian people with a language were able to speak English, with nearly a quarter (24 percent) only speaking English. The next most common languages were Yue or Cantonese (16 percent of Asian people with a language), Northern Chinese or Mandarin (12 percent) and Hindi (10 percent). Among those with a language, people in the Filipino (99 percent) and Sri Lankan (95 percent) ethnic groups were most likely to be able to speak English; the Korean (73 percent) and Cambodian (74 percent) ethnic groups had the lowest proportions of English speakers.

Housing

In 2001, 39 percent of Asian people aged 15 years and over stated they owned or partly owned their own home (compared with 55 percent of the adult New Zealand population). Home ownership was more common among the older age groups, with 57 percent of those in the 35-44 year age group and 65 percent of Asian people in the 45-64 year age group owning their own home. Forty percent of Asian women owned their own home in 2001 – a slightly higher level than for Asian men (37 percent).

Among the Asian ethnic groups, the Filipino ethnic group (42 percent) had the highest level of home ownership, closely followed by the Chinese and Indian ethnic groups (both 41 percent). Around 35 percent of the Korean and Sri Lankan ethnic groups owned their own home, while the equivalent proportion for the Cambodian and Japanese ethnic groups was 31 percent. In 2001, the Thai ethnic group had the lowest rate of home ownership (22 percent).

The proportion of Asian people living in rented dwellings has increased from 33 percent in 1991 to 38 percent in 2001. This trend mirrors the national trend away from home ownership, with the proportion of the total New Zealand population living in rented dwellings increasing from 25 percent in 1991 to 33 percent in 2001.

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Educational Qualifications

A relatively high proportion of Asian people hold formal educational qualifications. In 2001, 86 percent of Asian adults aged 15 years and over held a qualification, compared with 72 percent of the total adult New Zealand population. Over the decade, the proportion of Asian people with qualifications rose by 12 percentage points – echoing the increase in Asian people aged 15-24 years. In 2001, over a third (35 percent) of Asian people with a qualification had obtained their highest qualification at an overseas school.

Similar proportions of the Asian and total New Zealand populations held a post-school qualification (34 percent and 32 percent, respectively), but Asian people were far more likely to hold a degree. In 2001, nearly a quarter (23 percent) of the Asian population had obtained a bachelor degree or higher qualification – almost double the equivalent figure of 12 percent for the total New Zealand population. Twenty-five percent of Asian men held a degree while the comparable figure for Asian women was 22 percent.

Asian people are also highly involved in full-time and part-time study – reflecting the fact that a fifth of the usually resident Asian population is aged between 15 and 24 years. In 2001, 50 percent of young Asian people (aged 15-24 years) were studying full time (20 hours or more). In total, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of Asian people in this age group reported that they were studying either full time or part time at a school or any other place. Among the total New Zealand population, the equivalent figures for those aged between 15 and 24 years were much lower (36 percent and 47 percent, respectively).

People in the Sri Lankan ethnic group were most likely to have a formal educational qualification (97 percent), followed by those in the Korean, Filipino and Japanese ethnic groups (all 93 percent). The Cambodian ethnic group recorded the lowest proportion (47 percent) with a formal qualification in 2001. Overseas-born Chinese people (86 percent) were slightly more likely to hold a qualification than Chinese people born in New Zealand (83 percent) – a situation replicated among the Indian ethnic group.

Figure 4

Proportion of the Major Asian Ethnic Groups with a Degree or Higher Qualification, 2001

Figure 4 shows that the Filipino ethnic group had the highest proportion of people with a bachelor degree or higher qualification (41 percent). High proportions of people in the Sri Lankan (37 percent), Indian (24 percent) and Chinese (22 percent) ethnic groups also held a degree. Among New Zealand-born Chinese, 23 percent had obtained a degree, while the equivalent figure for New Zealand-born Indians was 16 percent.

The Filipino ethnic group and the Thai ethnic group were the only Asian ethnic groups in which women were more likely than men to hold a degree. In 2001, 42 percent of Filipino women and 39 percent of Filipino men held degrees, while the comparable proportions for Thai women and men were 17 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

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Income

The Asian population is less likely than the total New Zealand population to receive income from wages and salaries, investments or self-employment. The high proportion of recent arrivals to New Zealand, and the increasing proportion of young people studying are contributing factors.

In the 12 months prior to the 2001 Census, wages and salaries was the most common source of income for Asian people – received by 44 percent of Asian adults. The equivalent proportion for the total adult New Zealand population was 57 percent. Nineteen percent of Asian adults received income from investments, compared with 26 percent of the total New Zealand population. A further 14 percent of the Asian population received income from self-employment – 3 percentage points below the total New Zealand population.

However, the New Zealand-born Chinese and Indian populations were more likely to receive income from wages and salaries (66 percent and 65 percent, respectively) than the total New Zealand population, and equally as likely as the total New Zealand population to receive income from self-employment (17 percent and 16 percent, respectively). Over a third (35 percent) of New Zealand-born Chinese received income from investments in 2001, while the equivalent proportion for New Zealand-born Indians (25 percent) was similar to that of the total New Zealand population.

In 2001, Asian people were equally as likely as the total New Zealand population to receive income from the community wage–job seeker benefit (both 7 percent), but less likely to receive income from the domestic purposes benefit (2 percent versus 4 percent). The relatively high proportion of Asian people studying contributes to the Asian population (7 percent) being twice as likely as the total New Zealand population (3 percent) to receive the student allowance.

Nearly a fifth (19 percent) of Asian adults stated that they had no source of income in the year preceding the 2001 Census – over three times as high as the equivalent proportion among the total New Zealand population (6 percent). Over half (55 percent) of Asian people who stated they did not have an income source were aged between 15 and 24 years.

The median annual income of the Asian population aged 15 years and over in 2001 was $10,400 – relatively low when compared with the national median annual income of $18,500. Low levels of labour force participation among the Asian population are a contributing factor to this difference, coupled with a younger age structure and the high levels of young Asian people studying. Although Asian people aged between 20 and 25 years had a median income of $4,900, those in the 25-34 year and 35-44 year age groups had much higher median incomes ($17,100 and $18,500, respectively).

In 2001, the median annual income of Asian women ($8,900) equated to just over two-thirds of that of Asian men ($13,100).

The Filipino ethnic group ($17,500) had the highest median annual income among the Asian ethnic groups, followed by the Indian ethnic group ($16,000). The lowest median annual income was reported by the Korean ethnic group ($5,300) – reflecting the relatively low level of labour force participation among this group. New Zealand born Indians ($16,900) had a higher median annual income than Indians born overseas ($15,800). The median annual income of the New Zealand-born Chinese population ($20,200) was higher than that of both the overseas-born Chinese ($7,900) and total New Zealand populations, reflecting the higher labour force participation rate of New Zealand-born Chinese (see Labour Force below).

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Labour Force

Overall, the Asian population has a lower rate of participation in the labour force than the total New Zealand population – reflecting the high levels of young Asian people studying. In 2001, 57 percent of Asian people aged 15 years and over were in the labour force either in full-time or part-time paid employment or actively seeking work. The labour force participation rate for the total New Zealand population was 67 percent in 2001. Forty-one percent of Asian people aged between 15 and 24 years were participating in the labour force, whereas for the total New Zealand population the equivalent proportion was 67 percent.

Of those Asian people in paid employment, three-quarters were in full-time paid employment, while a quarter were in part-time paid employment – mirroring the national situation.

Among the Asian population, several groups had rates of labour force participation as high, if not higher, than the total New Zealand population. The New Zealand-born Indian and Chinese populations had high rates of participation (77 percent and 75 percent, respectively), as did the Filipino (75 percent) and Sri Lankan (67 percent) ethnic groups. In contrast, those in the Korean ethnic group had the lowest rate of participation in the labour force (43 percent). Overseas-born Chinese, who accounted for a third of the Asian population, had a labour force participation rate of 45 percent in 2001.

Figure 5

Labour Force Participation Rate of the Major Asian Ethnic Groups, 2001

The unemployment rate for the Asian population was 13 percent in 2001 – one percentage point lower than in 1996, but still higher than in 1991 (10 percent). Over the decade, the unemployment rate for the total New Zealand population declined from 10 percent in 1991 to 7 percent in 2001. Asian people aged 15-24 years had a higher unemployment rate (23 percent) than those in the same age group in the total New Zealand population (17 percent). Among the Asian ethnic groups, unemployment rates were highest among Cambodians, Koreans and Sri Lankans (all 16 percent), while the Filipino ethnic group (9 percent) had the lowest rate of unemployment in 2001. New Zealand-born Chinese (8 percent) and New Zealand-born Indians (10 percent) were less likely to be unemployed than overseas-born Chinese (15 percent) and overseas-born Indians (11 percent).

Asian women were less likely to be in the labour force than Asian men (51 percent versus 63 percent), but those women in the labour force were slightly more likely to be unemployed than men (14 percent and 13 percent, respectively).

Asian people are highly represented in white collar occupations. In 2001, 43 percent of Asian people in paid employment were working in the occupational categories of professionals (18 percent); legislators, administrators and managers (14 percent); and technicians and associate professionals (11 percent) – a slightly higher proportion than the total New Zealand population in white collar occupations (40 percent). High proportions of Sir Lankans (55 percent), Koreans (50 percent), New Zealand-born and overseas-born Chinese (47 percent and 44 percent, respectively) and New Zealand-born and overseas-born Indians (42 percent and 45, respectively) were also employed in white collar occupations. Cambodians (15 percent) and Thai people (19 percent) were least likely to be in white collar occupations.

While Asian people were more likely than the total New Zealand population to be employed as service and sales workers, they were less likely to be employed as agriculture and fishery workers and as trades workers. Manual occupations such as plant and machine operators and assemblers and elementary occupations (including labourers) accounted for 8 percent and 5 percent, respectively of employed Asian people – a similar level to that of the total New Zealand population.

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Families and Households

A two-parent family remains the most common family type for Asian people. Although the proportion of Asian people living in a two-parent family has declined from 76 percent in 1991 to 70 percent in 2001, they are still more likely to be living in this situation than the total New Zealand population (57 percent). In 2001, 15 percent of Asian people were living in a one-parent family – 5 percentage points higher than in 1991. The proportion living as a couple without children was almost unchanged over the decade (15 percent in 2001). By comparison, 17 percent of the total New Zealand population were living in a one-parent family in 2001 and 26 percent were living as a couple without children. The majority of Asian children still live in two-parent families. In 2001, 80 percent of dependent Asian children were living in two-parent families – a decrease of 7 percentage points since 1991. The comparable proportion among the total New Zealand population in 2001 was 73 percent.

In 2001, 19 percent of Asian people were living in extended family situations – a group of related people that may consist of a family nucleus and one or more other related people. Of those Asian people living in an extended family, 64 percent were part of an extended family of three or more generations whereas the equivalent figure among the total New Zealand population was 56 percent. The average (mean) size of families containing at least one Asian family member was 3.2 in 2001 – a slight drop from 3.4 in 1991. In 2001, the average family size for the New Zealand population was 3.0 people.

Although most Asian people residing in private households in 2001 were living in one-family households (78 percent), 13 percent were living in households containing two or more families – an increase from 8 percent in 1991. The comparable figure for the total New Zealand population was 5 percent. Asian people are less likely to live alone than the total New Zealand population – reflecting the younger age structure of the Asian population. In 2001, approximately 3 percent of the Asian population were living in one-person households whereas 9 percent of the total New Zealand population were living in this situation. The average (mean) household size of households containing at least one Asian household member was 3.5 – the same as at the beginning of the decade. In 2001, the average household size for the New Zealand population was 2.7 people.

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Access to Amenities

Asian people have high levels of household access to amenities such as the telephone, the Internet and motor vehicles. In 2001, 98 percent of the Asian population were living in households that had access to a telephone, while 62 percent were in a household with Internet access. The equivalent figures for the total New Zealand population were 96 percent and 43 percent, respectively. Ninety-four percent of Asian people reported household motor vehicle access – a similar proportion to the total New Zealand population (93 percent).

The Sri Lankan and the Korean ethnic groups had the highest levels of household Internet access (78 percent and 76 percent, respectively), as figure 6 illustrates. Relatively high levels of Internet access were also reported by the Japanese (65 percent) and Filipino (60 percent) ethnic groups. The Thai ethnic group (43 percent) had a level of household Internet access similar to that of the total New Zealand population, while the Cambodian ethnic group had a relatively low level of access (33 percent). Among the Chinese ethnic group, overseas-born Chinese (69 percent) had higher levels of Internet access than New Zealand-born Chinese (58 percent). A similar pattern was apparent between overseas-born Indians (54 percent) and New Zealand-born Indians (48 percent).

Figure 6

Proportion of the Major Asian Ethnic Groups with Household Access to the Internet, 2001