WELLINGTON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand annual net migration continued with a general downward trend in the May 2018 year from the peak of 72,400 in the July 2017 year, which was mainly driven by an increase in migrant departures, the statistics department Stats NZ said on Friday.

Annual net migration in the May 2018 year was 66,200, Stats NZ said, adding migrant arrivals were 130,200 and migrant departures were 64,000.

"Migrant departures are the highest they have been since May 2014," population insights senior manager Brooke Theyers said in a statement, adding they are now almost half the number of migrant arrivals.

Migrant departures to Asia increased by 33 percent in the May 2018 year to 12,400. The largest increases were to China and India, Theyers said.

In the May 2018 year, non-New Zealand citizen migrant departures were up 22 percent from a year earlier to 30,500, and up 1.1 percent from the April 2018 year, he said.

Numbers of New Zealand citizen migrant departures stayed relatively unchanged from a year earlier, and statistics show that the annual net gain in migrants is due to non-New Zealand citizens.