New Zealand vs North America: Population in the largest city
New Zealand
38.3%
in 2025
North America
8.3%
in 2025
New Zealand rank
44th
North America rank
41st
Population in the largest city over time
- New Zealand
- North America
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 38.3% against 8.3% in North America, a difference of 30.0%.
That makes New Zealand's figure about 4.6 times North America's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, New Zealand has been ahead every year.
New Zealand ranks 44th and North America ranks 41st of 153 countries.
New Zealand has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | North America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 29.4% | 11.4% | 18.0% | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 28.7% | 10.7% | 18.0% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 30.1% | 9.8% | 20.3% | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 31.7% | 9.3% | 22.4% | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 34.8% | 8.8% | 25.9% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 37.1% | 8.5% | 28.5% | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 38.3% | 8.4% | 29.9% | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in the largest city, New Zealand or North America?
- New Zealand, at 38.3% against 8.3% in North America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in the largest city between New Zealand and North America?
- 30.0%, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and North America?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and North America rank globally for population in the largest city?
- New Zealand ranks 44th and North America ranks 41st of 153 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.