Story: Scandinavians

Page 5: Facts and figures

Ethnic identity

In the New Zealand census, people were asked to indicate the ethnic group or groups with which they identified. The numbers include those who indicated more than one group.

  • Danish: 1,932 (2006); 1,989 (2013); 2,214 (2018)
  • Swedish: 1,254 (2006); 1,401 (2013); 1,911 (2018)

Country of birth

The New Zealand census figures listed here show the number of residents born in Scandinavian countries.

Denmark

  • 1874 census: 1,172
  • 1901 census: 2,120
  • 1951 census: 1,191
  • 1976 census: 1,588
  • 2001 census: 1,434
  • 2006 census: 1,491
  • 2013 census: 1,410
  • 2018 census: 1,563

Norway

  • 1881 census: 1,271
  • 1901 census: 1,279
  • 1951 census: 516
  • 1976 census: 368
  • 2001 census: 465
  • 2006 census: 471
  • 2013 census: 420
  • 2018 census: 567

Sweden

  • 1881 census: 1,264
  • 1901 census: 1,548
  • 1951 census: 389
  • 1976 census: 365
  • 2001 census: 960
  • 2006 census: 1,176
  • 2013 census: 1,350
  • 2018 census: 1,839

Finland

  • 1921 census: 314
  • 1951 census: 201
  • 1976 census: 298
  • 2001 census: 372
  • 2006 census: 396
  • 2013 census: 495
  • 2018 census: 702

How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Scandinavians – Facts and figures, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/scandinavians/page-5 (accessed 15 February 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 September 2024.