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Story: Latin Americans

Page 3: Facts and figures

Ethnic identity

In the 2006 and 2013 censuses, people were asked to indicate the ethnic group or groups with which they identified. The numbers include those who indicated more than one group.

  • Latin American: 2,253 (2006); 5,625 (2013); 9,798 (2018)
  • Brazilian: 1,473 (2006); 2,868 (2013); 6,663 (2018)
  • Chilean: 1,053 (2006); 1,686 (2013); 2,886 (2018)

Country of birth

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

Argentina

  • 1921 census: 49
  • 1951 census: 103
  • 1976 census: 181
  • 2001 census: 384
  • 2006 census: 909
  • 2013 census: 1,701
  • 2018 census: 3,447

Brazil

  • 1921 census: 24
  • 1951 census: 35
  • 2001 census: 654
  • 2006 census: 1,761
  • 2013 census: 3,588
  • 2018 census: 7,719

Chile

  • 1921 census: 39
  • 1951 census: 49
  • 1976 census: 273
  • 2001 census: 756
  • 2006 census: 1,377
  • 2013 census: 2,409
  • 2018 census: 3,936

Colombia

  • 2001 census: 216
  • 2006 census: 390
  • 2013 census: 1,155
  • 2018 census: 2,583

Mexico

  • 1921 census: 10
  • 1951 census: 12
  • 2001 census: 246
  • 2006 census: 384
  • 2013 census: 741
  • 2018 census: 1,413

Peru

  • 1921 census: 15
  • 1951 census: 19
  • 2001 census: 408
  • 2006 census: 498
  • 2013 census: 594
  • 2018 census: 933

Other Latin American countries

  • 2001 census: 1,065
  • 2006 census: 1,644
  • 2013 census: 1,704
  • 2018 census: 2,481
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How to cite this page

John Wilson, Latin Americans – Facts and figures, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/latin-americans/page-3 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 July 2024.