The latest data from the Household Income and Living Survey estimated that 4.8 percent of those aged 15 years and over identified as LGBT+ in the year ended June 2025, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
In these statistics, the LGBT+ population includes people who are transgender and non-binary, and/or people with a minority sexual identity (a sexual identity other than heterosexual). It does not include people born with variations of sex characteristics (also known as intersex variations). A person can belong to more than one group within the LGBT+ community, meaning they may be represented in more than one sub-population.
“Six in 10 people in the LGBT+ population were between 15 and 34 years old in the year ended June 2025. This compares with three in 10 people in the non-LGBT+ population,” household financial statistics spokesperson Victoria Treliving said.
| Age groups (years) | LGBT+ |
| 15-19 | 11.5 |
| 20-24 | 18.1 |
| 25-29 | 16.3 |
| 30-34 | 16 |
| 35-39 | 10.2 |
| 40-44 | 7 |
| 45-49 | 5.1 |
| 50-54 | 3.1 |
| 55-59 | 3.4 |
| 60-64 | 2.8 |
| 65+ | 6.5 |
| 9.5 | 13.5 |
|---|---|
| 15.4 | 20.8 |
| 13.8 | 18.8 |
| 13.8 | 18.2 |
| 8.5 | 11.9 |
| 5.5 | 8.5 |
| 3.9 | 6.3 |
| 2.2 | 4 |
| 2.4 | 4.4 |
| 1.9 | 3.7 |
| 5.1 | 7.9 |
| Age groups (years) | Non-LGBT+ |
| 15-19 | 5.4 |
| 20-24 | 6.3 |
| 25-29 | 7.4 |
| 30-34 | 9.1 |
| 35-39 | 9.4 |
| 40-44 | 8.6 |
| 45-49 | 7.8 |
| 50-54 | 8.2 |
| 55-59 | 7.9 |
| 60-64 | 7.7 |
| 65+ | 22.2 |
| 5.2 | 5.6 |
|---|---|
| 6 | 6.6 |
| 7.2 | 7.6 |
| 8.9 | 9.3 |
| 9.2 | 9.6 |
| 8.4 | 8.8 |
| 7.6 | 8 |
| 8.1 | 8.3 |
| 7.8 | 8 |
| 7.6 | 7.8 |
| 21.9 | 22.5 |
Because the LGBT+ population tends to be younger than the non‑LGBT+ population, outcomes linked to age (such as education, income, and home ownership) can vary between these populations.
For this reason, the following statistics have been age adjusted. This removes the effects of age differences to improve the ability to compare between populations.
Disposable income varies
The age-adjusted average annual personal disposable income of the LGBT+ population was $54,100 in the year ended June 2025, compared with $56,200 for the non-LGBT+ population. Personal disposable income is income after taxes have been deducted.
Those who were transgender and non-binary had an age-adjusted average annual disposable income of $38,300. This was lower than the average disposable income of the cisgender population ($55,800).
Comparatively, there was no significant difference between the age-adjusted average disposable income of people with minority sexual identities – $54,700 – and the heterosexual population – $56,100.
| Population group | $ |
| LGBT+ | 54055 |
| Non-LGBT+ | 56186 |
| Transgender and non-Binary | 38315 |
| Cisgender | 55802 |
| Sexual minorities | 54732 |
| Heterosexual | 56138 |
| 50109 | 58001 |
|---|---|
| 55503 | 56869 |
| 32557 | 44073 |
| 55144 | 56460 |
| 50587 | 58877 |
| 55459 | 56817 |
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.
