Stats NZ - Census 2023 Older People Housing and Residential Care
Stats NZ
Official data
Official primary
June 2026
Next review not yet scheduled
New Zealand
Medium confidence
published
SNZ editorial review
Evidence boundary: This record summarises the cited source. It does not establish local availability, individual eligibility, or professional advice.
Short Answer
These are classified as private dwellings (not residential care), so these residents are not counted in the 33,417 residential care figure The 2023 Census showed 12.2% of people in crowded homes (up from 10.1% in 2013).
Key Points
- •33,417 people were living in residential care for older people in 2023
- •Increase of 6.6% since 2018 (31,356 in 2018)
- •~40,000 people lived in registered retirement villages
- •96.9% European ethnicity — extreme ethnic skew
- •Over 8 in 10 seniors in private dwellings owned their home or held in family trust
- •Motor camps: 3,867 people in private dwellings; 3,633 in non-private motor camps; median age ~60
Full Summary & Notes
- ~40,000 people lived in registered retirement villages - 96.9% European ethnicity — extreme ethnic skew - These are classified as private dwellings (not residential care), so these residents are not counted in the 33,417 residential care figure The 2023 Census showed 12.2% of people in crowded homes (up from 10.1% in 2013). Older people are less likely to be in crowded housing than younger age groups, but those in rental housing face affordability challenges. - 46% of disabled people had at least one housing condition issue (cold, damp, mould) vs 36% non-disabled - 35% of people 65+ are disabled (31% men, 38% women) - Source: Household Disability Survey 2023 (opens in a new tab) - 112,496 people (2.3% of usual resident population) estimated severely housing deprived in 2023 - Prevalence increased from 214.4 to 228.3 per 10,000 (2018→2023) - Higher among Māori, Pacific peoples, disabled — groups that overlap with older population
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