WELLINGTON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's estimated resident population as of Dec. 31, 2018 is 4.93 million, up from 4.84 million in December 2017, the country's statistics department Stats NZ said on Monday.

The annual population growth rate was 1.7 percent, Stats NZ said.

"Migration data is an essential component of population change," population insights senior manager Brooke Theyers said in a statement.

The national population estimates in Monday's release are based on 2013 Census results and estimated population change since 2013, Theyers said.