Population in the largest city in New Zealand
New Zealand: Population in the largest city was 38.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
38.3%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
44th
of 153 countries
All-time high
38.8%
in 2022
All-time low
28.1%
in 1970
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in New Zealand, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in New Zealand is 38.3%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in New Zealand peaked at 38.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 28.1%, in 1970.
That places New Zealand 44th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 29.8% | — |
| 1961 | 29.3% | -1.7% |
| 1962 | 29.2% | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 29.5% | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 29.7% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 30.0% | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 30.0% | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 29.5% | -1.8% |
| 1968 | 28.9% | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 28.4% | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 28.1% | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 28.2% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 28.3% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 28.4% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 28.4% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 28.6% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 28.9% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 29.0% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 29.2% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 29.6% | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 29.8% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 29.9% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 29.9% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 29.8% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 29.8% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 29.8% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 30.1% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 30.3% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 30.5% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 30.7% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 30.8% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 29.9% | -3.0% |
| 1992 | 30.5% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 31.0% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 31.5% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 32.0% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 32.5% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 32.6% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 32.8% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 33.2% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 33.6% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 34.0% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 34.2% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 34.3% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 34.6% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 35.0% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 35.4% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 35.5% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 35.6% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 35.7% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 35.7% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 35.9% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 36.5% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 37.0% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 37.2% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 37.3% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 37.4% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 37.7% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 37.9% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 38.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 37.8% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 38.2% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 38.8% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 38.4% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 38.1% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 38.3% | +0.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 38.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.2%, 1.4× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 38.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 25.4%, 1.5× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 29.4% | 28.4% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 28.7% | 28.1% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.1% | 29.8% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.7% | 29.9% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.8% | 33.6% | 35.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.1% | 35.7% | 38.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.3% | 37.8% | 38.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More urban development data for New Zealand
- Population density 19.75 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 6.88 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.3214 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.71 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 1.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 6.35 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.71 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.95 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 202.99 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in New Zealand?
- Population in the largest city in New Zealand was 38.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 38.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.1% in 1970.
- How does New Zealand rank for population in the largest city?
- New Zealand ranks 44th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.