Household crowding has continued to increase, according to 2023 Census data released by Stats NZ today.
Over 100,000 households, or around 1 in 16, experienced crowded living conditions in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2023. In 2018, around 1 in 17 households were crowded, up from around 1 in 20 in 2013.
Crowding occurs when a dwelling is too small for the number of people living in the household. It can be measured in different ways, such as the number of people per room or bedroom.
"Crowding is a complex topic and isn't just about large households. For example, we know that people in crowded households may struggle to find suitable and affordable housing that meets their needs," principal analyst Dr Rosemary Goodyear said.
"An increase in household crowding is concerning as crowding can affect physical health, and is a risk factor for infectious disease," Goodyear said. For more information, see WHO Housing and health guidelines.
Stats NZ has measured crowding since the 1980s. We calculate the number of bedrooms needed based on the demographic composition of the household. This informs the household crowding index which provides insight into how we live in our homes - whether we have spare bedrooms or need more bedrooms. For more details, see Household crowding index - 2023 Census - Data Info+.
In 1986, 7.0 percent of households were crowded. While this rate fell through the 1990s, it has increased since 2013. In 2023, 6.2 percent of households were crowded compared with 5.7 percent in 2018 and 5.0 percent in 2013.
| Year | Percent |
| 1986 | 7.0 |
| 1991 | 6.4 |
| 1996 | 5.7 |
| 2001 | 5.1 |
| 2006 | 5.2 |
| 2013 | 5.0 |
| 2018 | 5.7 |
| 2023 | 6.2 |
The proportion of homes with two or more spare bedrooms has increased substantially since the early 1990s - 40.3 percent in 2023 compared with 30.2 percent in 1991. Over this period, the composition of households has changed while homes have increased in size.
In the 2023 Census, an increased proportion of people mostly worked from home. Therefore, some spare bedrooms may be used for another purpose, such as a home office.
Since the 1990s, there have been fewer households with children, and more couple-only and one-person households.
| Household composition | Couple only (with or without others) | Couple or one parent with children (with or without others) | Two or more families | Other multi-person | One-person household |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 25.3 | 46.9 | 1.7 | 5.9 | 20.2 |
| 1996 | 26.9 | 44.4 | 2.6 | 5.4 | 20.7 |
| 2001 | 27.1 | 42 | 2.2 | 5.4 | 23.4 |
| 2006 | 27.7 | 41.4 | 2.8 | 5.1 | 23 |
| 2013 | 28.1 | 40.2 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 23.5 |
| 2018 | 28.1 | 40.5 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 22.7 |
| 2023 | 28.1 | 39.6 | 3.9 | 5.6 | 22.8 |
Family sizes have also decreased. In the 2023 Census, 10.5 percent of women (excluding those who objected to answering) had four or more children compared with 16.6 percent in 1996.
The total fertility rate decreased sharply in that time, from an average of 2.18 children per woman in 1991, to 1.65 in 2023, and 1.52 in 2024.
Births and deaths: Year ended March 2024 has more information.
| Year | Total fertility rate |
| 1991 | 2.18 |
| 1992 | 2.11 |
| 1993 | 2.04 |
| 1994 | 2.03 |
| 1995 | 2.00 |
| 1996 | 1.96 |
| 1997 | 1.93 |
| 1998 | 1.95 |
| 1999 | 1.91 |
| 2000 | 2.01 |
| 2001 | 1.98 |
| 2002 | 1.93 |
| 2003 | 1.90 |
| 2004 | 1.95 |
| 2005 | 1.97 |
| 2006 | 1.99 |
| 2007 | 2.05 |
| 2008 | 2.15 |
| 2009 | 2.19 |
| 2010 | 2.18 |
| 2011 | 2.15 |
| 2012 | 2.08 |
| 2013 | 2.08 |
| 2014 | 1.99 |
| 2015 | 1.92 |
| 2016 | 1.95 |
| 2017 | 1.85 |
| 2018 | 1.81 |
| 2019 | 1.71 |
| 2020 | 1.69 |
| 2021 | 1.60 |
| 2022 | 1.69 |
| 2023 | 1.65 |
| 2024 | 1.52 |
At a regional level, Gisborne had the highest rates of crowding
In 2023, Gisborne had the highest proportion of crowded households in a region at 10.7 percent, followed by Auckland at 8.8 percent.
All regions except Auckland experienced an increase in household crowding between 2018 and 2023.
"When we look at the percentage point increase, the two areas most affected by the cyclone events in early 2023 - Gisborne and Hawke's Bay - had the largest increases in household crowding," Goodyear said.
| Region | 2013 | 2018 | 2023 |
| Gisborne | 7.3 | 7.8 | 10.7 |
| Auckland | 8.3 | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Hawke's Bay | 4.6 | 5.4 | 7.3 |
| Northland | 4.8 | 5.9 | 7.2 |
| Area outside region | 5.1 | 6.2 | 7 |
| Bay of Plenty | 4.6 | 5.3 | 6.5 |
| Total New Zealand | 5 | 5.7 | 6.2 |
| Waikato | 4.2 | 4.9 | 5.7 |
| Wellington | 4.4 | 5.1 | 5.4 |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.7 |
| Taranaki | 2.6 | 3.1 | 4.2 |
| Nelson | 2.6 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
| Canterbury | 3 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
| Otago | 2.1 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
| Marlborough | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
| Tasman | 2.2 | 2.8 | 3.4 |
| Southland | 2 | 2.6 | 3 |
| West Coast | 1.8 | 2.2 | 3 |
More information
Living in a crowded house: Exploring the ethnicity and well-being of people in crowded households has more information on crowding and includes tables from previous censuses and NZ General Social Survey.
Wellbeing statistics: 2023 includes data on crowding and key wellbeing measures.
Finding the crowding index that works best for New Zealand has information on household crowding index measures and what we utilise in New Zealand.
Household crowding index - 2023 Census - DataInfo+ provides information on the household crowding index data quality and time series consistency.
