WELLINGTON, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Around 33 percent of New Zealand's population is projected to identify with Asian ethnicities by 2048, up from 19 percent in 2023, the latest statistics show.

Within the Asian group, over the same period, those identifying with Chinese ethnicities will increase from 6 percent to around 8 percent, while those of Indian descent are expected to rise from 7 percent to about 12 percent, the statistics department Stats NZ reported on Thursday.

Other ethnic groups such as Maori, Pacific, and Middle Eastern/Latin American/African are also projected to increase their population shares, Stats NZ said.

However, the "European or Other" ethnic population, including New Zealanders, is projected to remain around 3.5 million people, it said.

As the only major ethnic group projected to decrease as a proportion of New Zealand's population, the "European or Other" ethnic population dropped from 67 percent in 2023 to around 52 percent in 2048, said Victoria Treliving, spokesperson of Stats NZ population estimates and projections.

The projections also indicate all ethnic groups are ageing, which will see an increase in their elderly population share (65+), driven by lower fertility, migration, and longer life expectancy, Treliving said. ■