Delayed survey suggests more than 400,000 Kiwis may have had Long Covid

The Ministry of Health has today released past national survey data showing the scale of Long Covid in New Zealand. 

By June 2025, the survey estimates more than 400,000 Kiwi adults may have developed Long Covid at some point – including about 185,000 still experiencing symptoms.

Results from the just-released 2024/25 New Zealand Health Survey indicate:

• The equivalent of 185,000 adults in New Zealand was experiencing Long Covid at the time of the survey (July 2024 to June 2025).
• About 1 in 11 adults (9.2% or roughly 401,000 people) reported ever having Long Covid symptoms following a Covid-19 infection.
• This represents 11.9% of adults who reported having had Covid-19.
• Women, Māori and disabled adults were more likely to report having had Long Covid.
• Of those who’d had Covid, about 1 in 6 Māori adults (15.5%) reported having had Long Covid, compared to about 1 in 9 non-Māori adults (11.3%).
• Nearly half of those who developed Long Covid were still experiencing symptoms when surveyed.

Long Covid Support Aotearoa says it only learned this week that the national health survey included a question on Long Covid.

“We’re surprised it took so long for the data to become public — nine months after the survey ended,” said spokesperson Larisa Hockey.

Just last week the group called for better national monitoring of Long Covid. It said an estimated 250,000 Kiwis could be affected based on overseas prevalence studies.

“Today’s survey suggests about 185,000 New Zealanders were living with Long Covid symptoms at the time of the survey — roughly the population of Hamilton and broadly consistent with the earlier estimate,” Hockey said. 

“It also suggests more than 400,000 people may have experienced Long Covid at some stage, about the combined population of Wellington and Hamilton.”

Long Covid Support Aotearoa members say the results are sobering. While based on self-reported data, the nationally-representative health survey is a respected cornerstone of Health Ministry statistics across conditions.

“We’re shocked and concerned that so many people have been underserved by New Zealand’s health authorities,” Hockey said.

Long Covid – and associated health conditions such as ME/CFS – remains poorly recognised and under-supported in New Zealand, despite growing international evidence about its impacts. Many with the condition face loss or reduction of employment, housing insecurity, and severe limitations in daily life.

The group is also questioning why the data has only now been released.

On Friday both the Ministry of Health and Health New Zealand told TVNZ’s Breakfast programme they had “no plans for Long Covid monitoring nor for any economic analysis.”

“Now that the scale of the problem is clearer, we want to know why there are still no plans to monitor it,” Hockey said. “Does the current 2025–26 New Zealand Health Survey include questions on Long Covid, for example?”

Catherine Appleby, a Long Covid Support Aotearoa nurse practitioner, said the results were deeply concerning. “This is sobering information. Government inaction is letting the problem grow,” she said.

“In particular, the relatively high Māori prevalence of Long Covid is unacceptable. This significant inequity is an urgent public health issue that deserves government attention,” Appleby said.

“In the words of Malala Yousafzai: we don’t want sympathy — we want action.”

END

Background information

Long Covid describes symptoms that persist for three months or more after infection. The condition exists on a spectrum — from ongoing but manageable symptoms to severe disability affecting work, family life and daily self-care.

Research shows it is a complex multi-system illness often involving extreme exhaustion, cognitive impairment, autonomic dysfunction, and new chronic illnesses such as ME/CFS, dysautonomia and diabetes.

What is point prevalence? – more detail can be seen in the Ministry of Health data download.

“Point prevalence” measures how many people are experiencing a condition at a specific moment. In the 2024–25 New Zealand Health Survey, 4.3% of adults were living with Long Covid at the time of the survey — roughly 185,000 people nationally. This means about 1 in 23 Kiwi adults were affected by Long Covid then.

Rates were higher for some groups, with 5.3% of women (compared to 3.1% of men), and 5.9% of Māori adults affected, compared with 4% of non-Māori. These figures show that Long Covid is a significant, ongoing issue across the country, particularly for women and Māori.

Survey background

Data for the 2024–25 New Zealand Health Survey was collected between July 2024 and July 2025. Questions on Covid-19 and Long Covid were asked of adults aged 15 years and over, with a sample size of 9,253 adults.

The questions asked adults over 15 if they had ever had a Covid-19 infection, and if they experienced any prolonged symptoms following that infection. The survey is nationally representative.

The new Long Covid results appear broadly consistent with findings from other countries including the UK and Canada.