Abstract
The age specific prevalence rates of multiple sclerosis in Wellington, New Zealand, are described. An overall prevalence rate of 39 per 100,000 places this area of New Zealand in one of the high risk zones of the world. Hospital admission statistics and mortality records suggest a gradient of increasing prevalence of multiple sclerosis in New Zealand from north to south. Neither internal nor external migration appear to influence the incidence of multiple sclerosis in Wellington. A critical evaluation of the prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the northern and southern extremities of the country is a prerequisite to further research on multiple sclerosis in New Zealand.