Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in New Zealand
New Zealand: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million was 32.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in New Zealand, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in New Zealand is 32.1%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in New Zealand peaked at 32.5% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 18.6%, in 1960.
New Zealand ranks 32nd of 121 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 18.6% | — |
| 1961 | 18.7% | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 19.0% | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 19.4% | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 19.8% | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 20.2% | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 20.7% | +2.1% |
| 1967 | 21.0% | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 21.6% | +2.6% |
| 1969 | 22.1% | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 22.6% | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 23.0% | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 23.2% | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 23.3% | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 23.5% | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 23.6% | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 23.9% | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 24.1% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 24.3% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 24.7% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 24.9% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 25.0% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 25.0% | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 24.9% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 24.9% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 25.0% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 25.3% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 25.4% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 25.7% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 26.0% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 26.1% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 25.4% | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 25.9% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 26.4% | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 26.9% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 27.3% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 27.8% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 27.9% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 28.1% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 28.5% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 28.8% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 29.1% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 29.3% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 29.4% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 29.7% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 30.1% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 30.4% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 30.5% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 30.6% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 30.7% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 30.7% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 30.8% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 31.3% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 31.7% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 31.8% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 31.8% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 31.7% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 31.7% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 31.8% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 31.8% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 31.7% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 32.1% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 32.5% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 32.2% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 32.0% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 32.1% | +0.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 32.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.3%, 1.1× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 32.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28.6%, 1.1× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.1% | 18.6% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 23.6% | 22.6% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.2% | 24.9% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.0% | 25.4% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.9% | 28.8% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.5% | 30.7% | 31.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.1% | 31.7% | 32.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More climate change data for New Zealand
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 113.13 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 46,323 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,983 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,340 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 45.22 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,226 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 694.4 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 691.2 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3.2 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.61 kt (2050)
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 32.1% 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 32.5% in 2022.
- What is the lowest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.6% in 1960.
- How does New Zealand rank for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- New Zealand ranks 32nd 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 1.1%. 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 (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.