Islam in New Zealand: history and Muslim population data

History of Islam in New Zealand

It was conquered by the British in 1840 and gained its independence from the UK in 1907. It has a total area of 267,710 sq km and consists of two main islands and over a thousand much smaller mostly uninhabited islands, covering over four million sq km of the South Pacific Ocean. The two main islands are South Island (151,215 sq km) with almost a fourth of the population and a tenth of the Muslim population, and North Island (113,729 sq km) with three-quarters of the population and nine-tenth of the Muslim population. The third populous island is Waiheke (92 sq km), with few thousand residents. Other populated islands with few hundred inhabitants are Stewart (1,746 sq km), Chatham (900 sq km), and Great Barrier (285 sq km). The largest of the remaining islands are the uninhabited Auckland (510 sq km), and Resolution (208 sq km).

The first Muslims were Gujarati traders from India. By 1950s, Muslims settled here from Albania and Bosnia. Then after 1987 military coup d’état in Fiji, many Indian Muslims migrated to New Zealand, as the Indian community felt that it is targeted by the coup. After 1993, a couple thousand Somali refugees joined the Muslim community. According to census data as shown in Table 6.1.2a, the Muslim population remained at or below 0.01% of the total population until the 1960s, changing from four in 1861, to seventeen in 1874 (one in Auckland and sixteen in Otago regions), to 39 in 1878 (three in Auckland, one in Wellington, three in Otago and 32 in Canterbury regions), to seven in 1881 (one in Otago and six in Canterbury regions), to 43 in 1896, to 41 in 1901, to 17 in 1906, to 12 in 1911, to 47 in 1916 (one in Taranaki, seven in Hawke’s Bay, seventeen in Auckland, thirteen in Wellington, two in Otago and seven in Canterbury regions), to 65 in 1921, to 76 in 1926, to 51 in 1936, to 67 in 1945, to 205 in 1951, to 200 in 1956, to 260 in 1961. The Muslim population then continued its steady increase to 551or 0.02% in 1966, to 779 or 0.03% in 1971, to 1,415 or 0.05% in 1976, to 2,004 or 0.08% in 1981, to 2,544 or 0.09% in 1986, to 5,772 or 0.20% in 1991 to 13,548 or 0.43% in 1996, to 23,631 or 0.73% in 2001, to 36,072 or 1.0% in 2006, to 46,146 or 1.2% in 2013 and 61,455 or 1.4% in 2018. Thus, assuming that the percentage of Muslims will continue to increase by half of a percentage point per decade, then the Muslim population is expected to reach 0.2 million or 3.0% by 2050 and 0.3 million or 5.5% by 2100.

The evolution of the Muslim population since 1976 in North and South Islands of New Zealand per Regional Councils based on the 1989 Local Government Act that changed all the Boundaries in New Zealand. The data includes total population (P), Muslim population (M), Percentage of Muslim population (M%) and Muslim Ratio in percentage (MR%). Tables 6.1.2d and 6.1.2e present the evolution of Muslim population since 1874 in North and South Island, respectively.

The North Island includes over three-quarters of the New Zealand population and over nine-tenth of the Muslim population. This island includes the capital Wellington and the largest city Auckland. The island consists of nine Regional Councils which are from north to south: Northland (13,941 sq km), Auckland (5,600 sq km), where three-quarter of Muslims on these islands live, Waikato (25,598 sq km), Bay of Plenty (12,447 sq km), Gisborne (8,351 sq km), Hawke’s Bay (14,164 sq km), Taranaki (7,273 sq km), Manawatu-Whanganui (22,215 sq km) and Wellington (8,124 sq km), where a tenth of Muslims live. The distribution of Muslims per region is summarized in Table 6.1.2b. As shown in Table 6.1.2d, the Muslim population in North Island increased from none in 1881, to 38 or 0.01% in 1916, to 1,150 or 0.1% in 1976, to 1,443 or 0.1% in 1981, to 5,556 or 0.2% in 1991, to 11,961 or 0.5% in 1996, to 21,051 or 0.9% in 2001, to 32,097 or 1.2% in 2006, to 41,562 or 1.5% in 2013, and 53,910 or 1.6% in 2018.

The South Island includes almost one-fourth of the New Zealand population and almost one-tenth of the Muslim population. The island consists of seven regional councils based on the 1989 Local Government Act that changed all the Boundaries in New Zealand. These regions are from north to south: Tasman (9,786 sq km), Nelson (445 sq km), Marlborough (12,484 sq km), West Coast (23,336 sq km), Canterbury (45,346 sq km), where over two-third of Muslims on this island live, Otago (31,990 sq km), where almost a quarter of Muslims live, and Southland (34,347 sq km). The distribution of Muslims per region is summarized in Table 6.1.2c. As shown in Table 6.1.2e, the Muslim population in South Island increased from seven in 1881, to nine or 0.01% in 1916, to 265 or 0.03% in 1976, to 534 or 0.1% in 1981, to 537 or 0.1% in 1991, to 1,587 or 0.2% in 1996, to 2,586 or 0.3% in 2001, to 3,969 or 0.5% in 2006, to 4,584 or 0.5% in 2013, and 6,711 or 0.7% in 2018.

Historical Muslim population dataset for New Zealand

The figures below are from the CoMPS historical dataset. Population values are expressed in thousands; 2100 is a modelled projection, not a present-day count.

For the full time series and visualisation, use the interactive map above.