According to the 2016/17 population projections provided by the Ministry of Health, there are approximately 898,300 people living in Te Manawa Taki region, comprising 19% of New Zealand's total population.
Te Manawa Taki is made up of five District Health Boards – Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Hauora Tairāwhiti, Taranaki and Waikato – and services the major population centres of Tauranga, Rotorua, Gisborne, New Plymouth and Hamilton. Distinguishing features of the Te Manawa Taki region, compared to New Zealand as a whole are:
- a much higher proportion of Māori
- a lower proportion of the population identifying as Asian or Pasifika
- a higher number of people living in rural areas
- a higher proportion of people living in areas identified as high deprivation.