How does your dating checklist hold up against Kiwi demographics? Time to find out.
What the New Zealand Numbers Actually Say:
Age distribution: Balanced across age groups — 12% of the adult female population is aged 18–24, while 19% is 65 and older.
Marriage & children: New Zealand follows a western (most marry in late 20s–30s, moderate divorce rates) pattern. Among New Zealand women aged 25–29, roughly 55% are unmarried and 62% don't have children yet.
Income: Earnings brackets come from New Zealand full-time female worker data. The national median sits at NZ$48,000, and the top 5% earns NZ$135,000+.
Body type: National health surveys put the New Zealand female obesity rate at 30%. That leaves 70% of women classified as not obese. Within that group, 35% are in the normal BMI range and 36% are on the slimmer end.
Height: The average New Zealand woman is 164 cm (5'5").
Sexuality: High identification (high social acceptance) — about 96% of New Zealand women identify as straight or bisexual, and 90% as exclusively straight.
Eye & hair colour: Brown/Black (38%), Blue (30%), Hazel (15%), Green (12%), Gray (5%). Hair: Brown (50%), Blonde (20%), Black (20%), Red (8%).
The bottom line: The takeaway is almost always the same: each filter feels harmless in isolation, but together they create a statistical wall. If your final percentage has more zeros than you expected, revisit your list and ask which criteria are genuine dealbreakers — and which are just fantasies dressed up as standards.
Stats NZ (demographics, income) | Ministry of Health (BMI, height) | Stats NZ / Gallup (sexuality)