No country moves people the way New Zealand does.

Nearly three in ten New Zealand residents were born overseas. In our 29-country comparison, only Singapore, Switzerland and Australia have larger shares of foreign-born residents.

Meanwhile, 12.8% of New Zealand-born people, roughly one in every eight, live overseas. Only Ireland joins New Zealand near the top of both lists, and New Zealand’s combination is more extreme. We are a revolving door at the end of the Pacific.

Migration figures do not reveal why individuals move. Yet other data in our new report New Zealand by Comparison suggest reasons.

Those arriving may be reading the society pages. New Zealand ranks fourth of 29 countries for honesty in government and fifth for the rule of law. New Zealanders also report greater life satisfaction than people in richer countries, including the United States, Germany and Britain, and rank fifth for generosity and sixth for having someone to count on.

Those considering departure may have read the economy pages. New Zealand’s productivity ranks 20th of 29. In 2024, the average Australian wage exceeded New Zealand’s by about US$10,700 a year, adjusted for purchasing power. The gap applies to like-for-like jobs from the supermarket checkout to the hospital ward.

Nobody emigrates because of a chart, not every departure is permanent, and wages are never the whole story.

Even so, the numbers show that wages remain too low, houses are unaffordable and businesses cannot access the capital to grow. Those are pressures that push people to leave.

New Zealand’s social stability and strong institutions may help explain why people come, while its economic weaknesses may help explain why some leave.

That data contain hope as well as warning. New Zealand has trust, safety, clean government and social support, although none can be taken for granted.

Policy cannot make the country larger or move it closer to its markets. But it can improve the settings for investment, competition, housing, trade and skills, helping productive firms grow and good jobs remain here.

The revolving door will keep turning either way. The real question is whether we give more people greater reason to stay.

Download ‘New Zealand by Comparison – 2026 Edition’ from our website, read about it in our latest articles in NZ Herald.