Wealth and income percentiles in New Zealand
How much net worth or income does it take to be in the top 10% or top 1% in New Zealand? Model estimates for 4.0 million adults aged 20+, reference level 2025.
Net worth thresholds in New Zealand
Net worth is private assets (property, deposits, securities, business ownership) minus debt, per adult. Thresholds show the minimum net worth needed to belong to each group.
| Group of adults | Threshold, NZD | Threshold, USD |
|---|---|---|
| Median (top 50%) | NZD 259,000 | USD 146,000 |
| Top 10% | NZD 1,500,000 | USD 843,000 |
| Top 5% | NZD 2,370,000 | USD 1,330,000 |
| Top 1% | NZD 5,880,000 | USD 3,300,000 |
| Top 0.1% | NZD 21,100,000 | USD 11,900,000 |
| Average (mean) | NZD 676,000 | USD 379,000 |
Income thresholds in New Zealand
Income is a harmonized pre-tax economic income per adult used for cross-country comparison. It is broader than wages and includes capital income, pensions and some imputed components.
| Group of adults | Threshold, NZD | Threshold, USD |
|---|---|---|
| Median (top 50%) | NZD 76,500 | USD 43,000 |
| Top 10% | NZD 158,000 | USD 89,000 |
| Top 5% | NZD 218,000 | USD 122,000 |
| Top 1% | NZD 474,000 | USD 266,000 |
| Top 0.1% | NZD 1,580,000 | USD 890,000 |
| Average (mean) | NZD 94,100 | USD 52,800 |
New Zealand in a global context
New Zealand has 0.07% of the world’s adults. About 48.7% of them are in the world’s top 10% by net worth and 5.1% are in the global top 1%. By income, the shares are 53.9% and 2.7%.
The median adult in New Zealand is in the global top 10.3% by net worth and the global top 9.5% by income. New Zealand is home to about 0.37% of the world’s top 1% by net worth.
Data quality and sources
The curves for New Zealand are built from the World Inequality Database’s 127-percentile estimates (2026 update), which combine tax records, surveys and national accounts; where a country has few direct sources, WID fills gaps from similar countries. The score shows how much direct national data stands behind the estimates, from 1 (strong direct national sources) to 5 (mainly imputed). The notes describe the national sources we have reviewed.
| Measure | Score | National data reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Net worth | 3 | Country-specific WIR/WID estimates with broad wealth shares and means. Not a complete national individual distribution; large parts of the curve and extreme tail are modelled. |
| Income | 3 | Country-specific WIR/WID estimates with broad income shares and means. Not a direct official national wage/register distribution; thresholds between groups are modelled. |
- World Inequality Report 2026: Country Sheets
- World Inequality Lab TN 2026/04: Global Inequality Update
- World Inequality Report 2026: Country Sheets
- World Inequality Lab TN 2026/04: Global Inequality Update
Amounts are converted at fixed exchange rates of 2026-10-09; they do not adjust for purchasing power. Thresholds in the extreme top are modelled and uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
How much net worth do you need to be in the top 1% in New Zealand?
About NZD 5,880,000 in net worth (assets minus debt) per adult, according to the WealthPercentile model for 2025. The top 10% starts at about NZD 1,500,000.
What is the median income in New Zealand?
The median adult in New Zealand has a broad pre-tax economic income of about NZD 76,500 a year. This measure is broader than wages: it includes capital income and some imputed components, so it is higher than a typical payslip.
How many adults in New Zealand are in the global top 1%?
About 5.1% of adults in New Zealand are in the world’s top 1% by net worth, and 2.7% by income.
How reliable are these numbers?
They are model estimates. The data-quality score for New Zealand is 3/5 for net worth and 3/5 for income, where 1 means strong direct source coverage and 5 means mainly modelled.