27 Oct 2009

More than a million over-65s within 20 years

12:18 pm on 27 October 2009

The number of people aged 65 years and over in New Zealand is projected to pass the one-million mark in the late 2020s.

Statistics New Zealand's national population projections indicate that within 20 years one in five New Zealanders will be over 65.

The nation's total population is projected to reach five million in the mid-2020s, but the annual rate of population growth will slow in the same period.

By 2031 more than three million people are projected to make up the working-age population of people between 15 and 64.