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Country profile

New Zealander nationals in Japan

Total residents (2025)
4,212
Total Population of New Zealand: ~5.3 million
Growth (past 10 years)
+33.6%
3,152 in 2015 → 4,212 in 2025

Top visa types (2025)

Permanent resident
1,209
Designated activities
589
Spouse of Japanese
582
Engineer / Humanities
477
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The Average New Zealander Migrant

Male profile

The average New Zealander male in Japan is a permanent resident in his early thirties, living in Tokyo.

Modal age30–34
Top visaPermanent resident (33.1%)
2nd visaSpouse of Japanese (16.2%)
Population2,982 (70.8%)
Female profile

The average New Zealander female in Japan is a dependent family member in her late twenties, living in Tokyo.

Modal age25–29
Top visaFamily stay (20.9%)
2nd visaDesignated activities (19.0%)
Population1,230 (29.2%)

Population over time

Total New Zealander residents

Annual figures, 2006–2025 — hover the line for details
01,0002,0003,0004,0005,00020062010201520202025
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2024
Permanent resident Engineer / Humanities Spouse of Japanese Instructor Student Others

Visa Types

What do these visa types mean? →

Status of residence (2025)

Current snapshot
0 500 1,000 1,500 Permanent resident Permanent resident: 1,209 1,209 Designated activities Designated activities: 589 589 Spouse of Japanese Spouse of Japanese: 582 582 Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services: 477 477 Family stay / Dependent Family stay / Dependent: 408 408 Instructor Instructor: 292 292 Entertainer Entertainer: 178 178 Student Student: 134 134 Skilled labour Skilled labour: 66 66 Long-term resident Long-term resident: 49 49 Special Permanent resident Special Permanent resident: 42 42 Professor Professor: 39 39
0 500 1,000 1,500 Permanent resident Permanent resident 2015: 901 Permanent resident 2025: 1,209 901 1,209 (2025) Designated activities Designated activities 2015: 371 Designated activities 2025: 589 371 589 (2025) Spouse of Japanese Spouse of Japanese 2015: 510 Spouse of Japanese 2025: 582 510 582 (2025) Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services 2015: 398 Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services 2025: 477 398 477 (2025) Family stay / Dependent Family stay / Dependent 2015: 163 Family stay / Dependent 2025: 408 163 408 (2025) Instructor Instructor 2015: 374 374 292 (2025) Entertainer Entertainer 2015: 9 Entertainer 2025: 178 9 178 (2025) Student Student 2015: 116 Student 2025: 134 116 134 (2025) Skilled labour Skilled labour 2015: 51 Skilled labour 2025: 66 51 66 (2025) Long-term resident Long-term resident 2015: 50 50 49 (2025)
Where New Zealand is heavier than rest of world Where New Zealand is lighter (or absent) Permanent resident New Zealander: 28.7% 28.7% Rest of world: 23.0% 23.0% Designated activities New Zealander: 14.0% 14.0% Rest of world: 3.0% 3.0% Spouse of Japanese New Zealander: 13.8% 13.8% Rest of world: 3.7% 3.7% Family stay / Dependent New Zealander: 9.7% 9.7% Rest of world: 8.6% 8.6% Instructor New Zealander: 6.9% 6.9% Rest of world: 0.4% 0.4% Entertainer New Zealander: 4.2% 4.2% Rest of world: 0.1% 0.1% Skilled labour New Zealander: 1.6% 1.6% Rest of world: 1.3% 1.3% Professor New Zealander: 0.9% 0.9% Rest of world: 0.2% 0.2% High-skilled professional New Zealander: 0.9% 0.9% Rest of world: 0.8% 0.8% Religion New Zealander: 0.4% 0.4% Rest of world: 0.1% 0.1% Student New Zealander: 3.2% 3.2% Rest of world: 11.3% 11.3% Special Permanent resident New Zealander: 1.0% 1.0% Rest of world: 6.5% 6.5% Long-term resident New Zealander: 1.2% 1.2% Rest of world: 5.5% 5.5% Spouse of PR New Zealander: 0.4% 0.4% Rest of world: 1.4% 1.4% Business manager New Zealander: 0.9% 0.9% Rest of world: 1.1% 1.1% Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services New Zealander: 11.3% 11.3% Rest of world: 11.5% 11.5% Intra-company transferee New Zealander: 0.4% 0.4% Rest of world: 0.5% 0.5%

Demographics

Age distribution

All New Zealander residents — five-year age brackets, December 2025
0 200 400 600 800 0–4: 152 152 0–4 5–9: 98 98 5–9 10–14: 65 65 10–14 15–19: 108 108 15–19 20–24: 411 411 20–24 25–29: 605 605 25–29 30–34: 540 540 30–34 35–39: 372 372 35–39 40–44: 339 339 40–44 45–49: 412 412 45–49 50–54: 431 431 50–54 55–59: 305 305 55–59 60–64: 198 198 60–64 65–69: 86 86 65–69 70–74: 58 58 70–74 75–79: 21 21 75–79 80+: 11 11 80+
MALE 男性 FEMALE 女性 0–4 87 65 5–9 47 51 10–14 35 30 15–19 58 50 20–24 244 167 25–29 353 252 30–34 373 167 35–39 269 103 40–44 251 88 45–49 343 69 50–54 370 61 55–59 251 54 60–64 161 37 65–69 63 23 70–74 50 8 75–79 19 2 80+ 8 3

Gender split

December 2025
Male: 2,982 (70.8%) Female: 1,230 (29.2%) 4,212 total
Male
2,982 (70.8%)
Female
1,230 (29.2%)

The New Zealander community leans male (71%) and settled: permanent residents (29%), Designated Activities (14%) and spouses of Japanese nationals (14%) lead.

Family stay / Dependent: 257 (20.9%) Designated activities: 234 (19.0%) Permanent resident: 221 (18.0%) Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services: 146 (11.9%) Instructor: 124 (10.1%) Spouse of Japanese: 99 (8.0%) Student: 50 (4.1%) Special Permanent resident: 21 (1.7%) Long-term resident: 16 (1.3%) High-skilled professional: 10 (0.8%) Professor: 10 (0.8%) Spouse of PR: 8 (0.7%) Religion: 8 (0.7%) Other: 26 (2.1%) Total female 1,230
1,230 female New Zealander residents — by status of residence
Family stay / Dependent257
Designated activities234
Permanent resident221
Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services146
Instructor124
Spouse of Japanese99
Student50
Special Permanent resident21
Long-term resident16
High-skilled professional10
Professor10
Spouse of PR8
Religion8
Other26
Permanent resident: 988 (33.1%) Spouse of Japanese: 483 (16.2%) Designated activities: 355 (11.9%) Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services: 331 (11.1%) Entertainer: 172 (5.8%) Instructor: 168 (5.6%) Family stay / Dependent: 151 (5.1%) Student: 84 (2.8%) Skilled labour: 59 (2.0%) Long-term resident: 33 (1.1%) Business manager: 31 (1.0%) Professor: 29 (1.0%) High-skilled professional: 29 (1.0%) Other: 69 (2.3%) Total male 2,982
2,982 male New Zealander residents — by status of residence
Permanent resident988
Spouse of Japanese483
Designated activities355
Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services331
Entertainer172
Instructor168
Family stay / Dependent151
Student84
Skilled labour59
Long-term resident33
Business manager31
Professor29
High-skilled professional29
Other69
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 2010 2015 2020 2025 Female 1,230 Male 2,982

Where they live (2025)

By region — heat map

Hover or tap a region to see its breakdown.
Hokkaido Hokkaido 723 723 Tohoku Tohoku 518 518 Kanto Kanto 2,621 2,621 Chubu Chubu 1,926 1,926 Kansai Kansai 3,189 3,189 Chugoku Chugoku 487 487 Shikoku Shikoku 245 245 Kyushu Kyushu 1,158 1,158
Fewer
More
Selected region
Kanto
11,830
57.6% of Japan total
Top Visa Categories
Prefectures
Tokyo
7,596
Kanagawa
1,948
Chiba
1,018
Saitama
763
Ibaraki
231
Tochigi
138
Gunma
136

Highest and Lowest Prefectures

2025 Resident Counts
Top 10
Tokyo
Kanto
1,116
Hokkaido
Hokkaido
393
Osaka
Kansai
290
Kanagawa
Kanto
272
Nagano
Chubu
219
Chiba
Kanto
201
Saitama
Kanto
187
Hyogo
Kansai
185
Aichi
Chubu
183
Kyoto
Kansai
115
Bottom 10
Toyama
Chubu
6
Tottori
Chugoku
6
Fukui
Chubu
7
Tokushima
Shikoku
7
Yamagata
Tohoku
9
Saga
Kyushu
9
Wakayama
Kansai
9
Akita
Tohoku
9
Kochi
Shikoku
9
Shimane
Chugoku
10

Prefecture Growth, 2015 to 2025

Absolute change in New Zealander residents over the past decade
Largest increase
Tokyo
Kanto
+245
Hokkaido
Hokkaido
+177
Nagano
Chubu
+155
Osaka
Kansai
+83
Kanagawa
Kanto
+80
Largest decrease
Kumamoto
Kyushu
-12
Fukuoka
Kyushu
-8
Wakayama
Kansai
-7
Shizuoka
Chubu
-6
Tottori
Chugoku
-6
0 500 1,000 1,500 2010 2015 2020 2025 Tokyo Hokkaido Osaka Kanagawa Nagano Chiba Saitama Hyogo

Fun Fact

New Zealand is a member of the site's 'Hokkaido club' — one of just five communities (with Australia, Ireland, Denmark and Czechia) whose #2 prefecture is Hokkaido — 393 people, drawn by Niseko's ski industry, where southern-hemisphere seasons mean a Kiwi winter workforce arrives every Japanese December.
Interested to know more about migration numbers in Japan?
Explore Overview →Immigration statistics for the whole of Japan — 4.13 million foreign residentsAll Nationalities/Regions →This page is one of 67 — explore every major community in Japan
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