Annual growth rate of urban population share in New Zealand
New Zealand: Annual growth rate of urban population share was 0.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.1%
Change on year
up 26.7%
World rank
166th
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.6%
in 1968
All-time low
-0.7%
in 2017
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Annual growth rate of urban population share in New Zealand, 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, annual growth rate of urban population share in New Zealand stood at 0.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 26.7% on the previous year and up 116.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual growth rate of urban population share in New Zealand peaked at 4.6% in 1968 and was at its lowest, -0.7%, in 2017.
New Zealand ranks 166th of 236 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.
Annual growth rate of urban population share in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -0.1% | — |
| 1951 | -0.1% | +74.2% |
| 1952 | -0.1% | -13.7% |
| 1953 | -0.0% | -51.0% |
| 1954 | -0.0% | -60.4% |
| 1955 | -0.0% | -79.7% |
| 1956 | 0.9% | -23597.5% |
| 1957 | 2.5% | +167.2% |
| 1958 | 3.7% | +47.1% |
| 1959 | 3.7% | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 3.0% | -20.2% |
| 1961 | 1.9% | -37.1% |
| 1962 | 1.4% | -26.8% |
| 1963 | 1.2% | -11.8% |
| 1964 | 1.3% | +8.8% |
| 1965 | 1.6% | +24.0% |
| 1966 | 2.8% | +75.3% |
| 1967 | 4.1% | +43.9% |
| 1968 | 4.6% | +12.9% |
| 1969 | 3.9% | -15.6% |
| 1970 | 2.3% | -41.7% |
| 1971 | 0.7% | -67.4% |
| 1972 | 0.4% | -39.9% |
| 1973 | 0.4% | -20.8% |
| 1974 | 0.3% | -22.5% |
| 1975 | 0.2% | -16.3% |
| 1976 | 0.2% | -11.6% |
| 1977 | 0.2% | -12.8% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | -14.7% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | -12.8% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -10.1% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -17.0% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | -19.5% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -11.4% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | +12.8% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | +28.8% |
| 1986 | 0.2% | +74.4% |
| 1987 | 0.3% | +43.7% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | +20.6% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | -3.5% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | -20.0% |
| 1991 | 0.2% | -28.5% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | -13.6% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -10.8% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -12.3% |
| 1995 | 0.1% | -13.1% |
| 1996 | 0.1% | -14.0% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | -10.9% |
| 1998 | 0.1% | -11.1% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | -7.5% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -6.6% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | -24.6% |
| 2005 | 0.0% | -53.7% |
| 2006 | -0.0% | -115.1% |
| 2007 | -0.0% | +286.7% |
| 2008 | -0.0% | +89.7% |
| 2009 | -0.0% | +40.5% |
| 2010 | -0.0% | +29.1% |
| 2011 | -0.0% | +22.3% |
| 2012 | -0.1% | +12.7% |
| 2013 | -0.2% | +183.1% |
| 2014 | -0.3% | +103.6% |
| 2015 | -0.5% | +54.6% |
| 2016 | -0.6% | +19.6% |
| 2017 | -0.7% | +19.2% |
| 2018 | -0.1% | -92.3% |
| 2019 | 0.0% | -113.1% |
| 2020 | 0.0% | +108.6% |
| 2021 | 0.0% | +65.1% |
| 2022 | 0.0% | +47.3% |
| 2023 | 0.0% | +37.5% |
| 2024 | 0.1% | +31.4% |
| 2025 | 0.1% | +26.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.0% | -0.1% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.6% | 1.2% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5% | 0.1% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0% | -0.0% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.2% | -0.7% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More population data for New Zealand
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0739 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -14.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 256,010 people (2100)
- Population density 22.07 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.191 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.628 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual growth rate of urban population share in New Zealand?
- Annual growth rate of urban population share in New Zealand was 0.1% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 1968.
- What is the lowest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.7% in 2017.
- How does New Zealand rank for annual growth rate of urban population share?
- New Zealand ranks 166th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual growth rate of urban population share rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 116.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual growth rate of urban population share. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average annual rate of change of the share of the population living in urban areas.