Key findings – dwellings and households

• Occupied private dwellings, 1916–2013
  The number of occupied private dwellings has increased by almost seven times since 1916. 
• Number of people per dwelling, 1867–2013
  The average number of people per occupied private dwelling or household has fallen – from a peak of 5.2 in 1886, to 2.7 in 2013. 
• Types of joined private dwellings, 1926 Census
  In 1926, more than 9 in 10 dwellings were separate houses.
• Types of occupied private dwellings, 1926 and 2013 Censuses
  The proportion of stand-alone houses in New Zealand has fallen since 1926. 
• Unoccupied dwellings, 1891–2013
  2013 had the highest rate of unoccupied dwellings in over a century.
• Main materials of outer walls of dwelling, 1861–1981
  Wood was the most common material used for the outer walls of New Zealand houses in the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Home ownership, 1916–2013
  Home ownership in 2013 was at its lowest rate since the 1950s.
• Number of households who rented their home, 1916–2013
  Renting has increased in recent years, with just under one-third of households renting in 2013, compared with just over one-quarter in 1991.

Housing has always been an important component of the census, and we can trace several variables consistently over time. These include: the number of dwellings, whether dwellings are occupied or unoccupied, the type of dwelling, and the construction type. We have also collected the number of rooms in a dwelling relatively consistently over time.

At times the census has collected additional information such as electricity supply, the number of bathrooms and toilets, and the number of refrigerators and televisions.

We have included here some of the longest-running time series for dwellings: the number of private and non-private dwellings, the average household size, the main material of walls, and home ownership rates.

See Information about the dwelling and household data for more information. 

See also: A century of censuses – population

Published 14 July 2015