Population in largest city in New Zealand
New Zealand: Population in largest city was 1.71 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population in largest city in New Zealand, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in largest city in New Zealand is 1.71 million, measured 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 largest city in New Zealand peaked at 1.71 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 440,164, in 1960.
New Zealand ranks 97th of 153 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.
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 1.71 million (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO guidel 0.0% (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in largest city in New Zealand?
- Population in largest city in New Zealand was 1.71 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in largest city recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1.71 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in largest city recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 440,164 in 1960.
- How does New Zealand rank for population in largest city?
- New Zealand ranks 97th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in largest city 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 largest city. 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 largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.