Ethnic identity
In the New Zealand census, people were asked to indicate the ethnic group or groups with which they identified. The numbers include those who indicated more than one group.
- Sri Lankan: 7,041 (2006); 9,561 (2013); 4,245 (2018)
- Sinhalese: 792 (2006); 1,020 (2013); 9,171 (2018)
- Sri Lankan Tamil: 540 (2006); 732 (2013); 3,501 (2018)
Country of birth
The New Zealand census figures listed here show the number of residents born in Sri Lanka, which was until 1972 called Ceylon. They include Europeans born in Ceylon.
Ceylon
- 1874 census: 33
- 1901 census: 106
- 1951 census: 152
Sri Lanka
- 1976 census: 973
- 2001 census: 6,168
- 2006 census: 7,254
- 2013 census: 9,582
- 2018 census: 14,349
‘Race aliens’
Between 1916 and 1966 the New Zealand census provided figures on ‘race aliens’, who were defined as people ‘not of European descent’. The figures listed are for those described as ‘Sinhalese’.
- 1916 census: 12
- 1936 census: 23
- 1951 census: 18