Census data has revealed one in 20 New Zealand adults identify as LGBTIQ+ - or part of the rainbow communities.

For the first time ever, the 2023 Census collected data about gender, sexual identity and variations of sex characteristics.

The LGBTIQ+ or rainbow population includes people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, intersex, or have other "minority genders or sexual identities", StatsNZ said.

Data released on Thursday revealed the population's size in 2023 was 172,383 - or 4.9 per cent of adults.

Wellington had the highest proportion of people belonging to the rainbow communities, at 11.3 per cent.

That was followed by Dunedin at 7.3 per cent, Christchurch at 6 per cent, Palmerston North at 5.8 per cent and Hamilton at 5.6 per cent, with Auckland sitting at 4.9 per cent.

Rainbow communities had been lobbying for decades to have this information recorded and to see themselves reflected in the data, said StatsNZ principal analyst Adele Quinn.

There was also demand from government agencies who would use the data to better understand communities and ensure they have the services and support they need, she said.

Sexual identity

In the 2023 Census, 144,960 people over 15 years old reported a sexual identity other than heterosexual.

Just over half - 54 per cent - identified as bisexual, about 30 per cent identified as gay or lesbian, and the remaining 13 per cent had a different sexual identity that had not been classified.

Sexual identity in New Zealand

Nearly 145,000 people aged 15 or over reported a sexual identity other than heterosexual.

'Sexual identity' is different to someone's gender or sex characteristics. Graph supplied.

Transgender and non-binary populations

In 2023, more than 26,000 people were transgender. That equated to 0.7 per cent of the adult population.

More than 15,000 of these people identified as "another gender" while just over 5,000 identified as transgender male, and nearly 6,000 identified as transgender female.

Less than half a per cent of adults identified as non-binary.

On average they were younger than the general population, with a median age of 24.8 years compared with 38.1 years.

Intersex population

The Census delivered Aotearoa's first official statistics about the intersex population.

Intersex describes a range of natural variations in the human body, specifically the innate variations in someone's sex characteristics, of which there are over 40 under the umbrella term.

Sex characteristics can include hormones, chromosomes, internal and external anatomy.

It found 0.4 per cent of the population, or just over 15,000 people, stated they knew they were born with a variation of sex characteristics.

• 1 in 20 New Zealand adults identify as LGBTIQ+, Census data shows
• The 2023 census captured data for LGBTIQ+ communities for the first time ever
• Wellington has the highest proportion of rainbow population

-RNZ