Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in New Zealand
New Zealand: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million was 1.71 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.71 million
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
98th
of 121 countries
All-time high
1.71 million
in 2025
All-time low
440,164
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in New Zealand, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 1.71 million for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in New Zealand peaked at 1.71 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 440,164, in 1960.
New Zealand ranks 98th of 121 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 440,164 | — |
| 1961 | 452,080 | +2.7% |
| 1962 | 470,862 | +4.2% |
| 1963 | 490,424 | +4.2% |
| 1964 | 510,827 | +4.2% |
| 1965 | 532,019 | +4.1% |
| 1966 | 553,163 | +4.0% |
| 1967 | 572,549 | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 592,643 | +3.5% |
| 1969 | 613,383 | +3.5% |
| 1970 | 634,880 | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 655,680 | +3.3% |
| 1972 | 673,232 | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 691,204 | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 709,682 | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 728,654 | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 744,730 | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 751,878 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 759,105 | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 766,402 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 773,779 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 781,206 | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 788,715 | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 796,296 | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 803,961 | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 811,678 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 820,790 | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 832,749 | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 844,899 | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 857,192 | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 869,681 | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 887,073 | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 915,015 | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 943,756 | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 973,442 | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 1.00 million | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 1.04 million | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 1.05 million | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 1.07 million | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 1.09 million | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 1.11 million | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 1.13 million | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 1.16 million | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 1.18 million | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 1.21 million | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 1.24 million | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 1.27 million | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 1.29 million | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 1.30 million | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 1.32 million | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 1.34 million | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 1.35 million | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 1.38 million | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 1.41 million | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 1.44 million | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 1.47 million | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 1.50 million | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 1.53 million | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 1.56 million | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 1.58 million | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 1.61 million | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 1.63 million | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 1.65 million | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 1.67 million | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 1.69 million | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 1.71 million | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 522,811 | 440,164 | 613,383 | 10 |
| 1970s | 711,545 | 634,880 | 766,402 | 10 |
| 1980s | 811,126 | 773,779 | 857,192 | 10 |
| 1990s | 984,590 | 869,681 | 1.09 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.22 million | 1.11 million | 1.32 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.45 million | 1.34 million | 1.58 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.66 million | 1.61 million | 1.71 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More urban development data for New Zealand
- Population in the largest city 38.3% (2025)
- 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, 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 urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in New Zealand?
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in New Zealand was 1.71 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1.71 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 440,164 in 1960.
- How does New Zealand rank for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- New Zealand ranks 98th out of 121 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. 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 urban agglomerations of more than 1 million. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.