Urban population growth in New Zealand
New Zealand: Urban population growth was 0.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in New Zealand, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in New Zealand stood at 0.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 59.0% on the previous year and down 55.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in New Zealand peaked at 5.4% in 1968 and was at its lowest, -0.3%, in 1979.
New Zealand ranks 140th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.4% | — |
| 1962 | 4.1% | -6.7% |
| 1963 | 3.2% | -20.8% |
| 1964 | 3.3% | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 3.1% | -6.5% |
| 1966 | 3.8% | +24.0% |
| 1967 | 5.3% | +38.4% |
| 1968 | 5.4% | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 5.2% | -3.1% |
| 1970 | 4.6% | -13.0% |
| 1971 | 2.8% | -38.1% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | -19.5% |
| 1973 | 2.4% | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 2.2% | -8.5% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | -49.9% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -54.4% |
| 1978 | 0.2% | -61.4% |
| 1979 | -0.3% | -230.4% |
| 1980 | 0.2% | -198.4% |
| 1981 | 0.5% | +98.9% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | +119.2% |
| 1983 | 1.4% | +32.3% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | -34.5% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -24.6% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | -85.1% |
| 1987 | 1.1% | +927.4% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | -47.8% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | +39.5% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | +52.2% |
| 1991 | 5.0% | +321.8% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | -76.3% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | +7.0% |
| 1994 | 1.5% | +13.5% |
| 1995 | 1.6% | +8.2% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | +6.6% |
| 1997 | 1.4% | -16.8% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -31.2% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -38.5% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | +9.6% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.8% | +178.3% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | +13.2% |
| 2004 | 1.5% | -24.4% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | -24.4% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -24.5% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | -10.1% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +17.0% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +10.6% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | -33.3% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -31.1% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | +38.8% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +107.7% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | +13.5% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -13.6% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | -8.1% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | +44.3% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | -87.3% |
| 2022 | -0.0% | -110.6% |
| 2023 | 2.3% | -8628.1% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | -24.4% |
| 2025 | 0.7% | -59.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.2% | 3.1% | 5.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.8% | -0.3% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 0.6% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 0.6% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 0.5% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | -0.0% | 2.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More climate change data for New Zealand
- 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)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.1143 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in New Zealand?
- Urban population growth in New Zealand was 0.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 1968.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.3% in 1979.
- How does New Zealand rank for urban population growth?
- New Zealand ranks 140th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 55.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.