LGBT+ population of Aotearoa New Zealand provides key demographic and economic characteristics of the LGBT+ population as a whole, of the transgender and non-binary population, and of the sexual minorities’ population. The statistics include qualifications and income, as well as disability status for those who are part of the LGBT+ population.
This release includes tables of data based on responses about sexual identity and gender from questions included in the Household Economic Survey (HES) for the year ended June 2024 – a survey of about 19,000 responding households (including more than 37,000 people aged 15 and over).
In these tables, we defined the LGBT+ population as those aged 15 years and over who reported a gender that was not male or female, reported a sexual identity that was not heterosexual, or who reported a gender that did not match what was recorded for their sex at birth (for example, transgender male or transgender female).
We acknowledge that the gender and sexual identity terms used by Stats NZ in the Household Economic Survey may not have resonated with everyone in the population. The data may not have captured all those who are part of the LGBT+ community. We thank those who felt comfortable enough to share their identities with and have trust in us.
Glossary
cisgender – a person whose gender is the same as the sex recorded at their birth.
gender identity – a person’s internal and individual experience of gender.
heterosexual – a person who is sexually attracted to people of a different sex or gender than their own. Straight is an alternative term.
minority sexual identity – a sexual identity other than heterosexual.
non-binary – a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. There are many different ways that people may be non-binary.
sexual identity – how a person thinks of their own sexuality and which terms they identify with. Sexual identity terms include lesbian, gay, straight, asexual, takatāpui, bisexual, or pansexual, among others.
transgender – a person whose gender is different from the sex recorded at their birth.
Definitions and metadata
Household Economic Survey – DataInfo+ outlines the background to the Household Economic Survey, and the data quality in this report.
Data standard for gender, sex, and variations of sex characteristics has concepts and definitions for gender, sex, and variations of sex characteristics data.
Framework for sexual orientation – Aria outlines the components, related definitions, and scope of the concept of sexual orientation.
LGBTIQ+ data at Stats NZ has more information about how Stats NZ collects and produces LGBTIQ+ population data.
Technical enquiries
Household financial statistics
[email protected]
ISBN 978-1-99-104916-2
Next release
LGBT+ population of Aotearoa New Zealand: Year ended June 2025 is now available.
