Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in New Zealand
New Zealand: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita was 0.8285 people per person in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.8285 people per person
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
48th
of 215 countries
All-time high
0.8649 people per person
in 1990
All-time low
0.6258 people per person
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in New Zealand, 1960–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people per person.
Analysis
In 2025, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in New Zealand stood at 0.8285 people per person.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in New Zealand peaked at 0.8649 people per person in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.6258 people per person, in 1960.
That places New Zealand 48th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | people per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.6258 people per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.6414 people per person | +2.5% |
| 1962 | 0.6492 people per person | +1.2% |
| 1963 | 0.6583 people per person | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 0.6656 people per person | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 0.6765 people per person | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 0.69 people per person | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 0.7128 people per person | +3.3% |
| 1968 | 0.7478 people per person | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 0.7824 people per person | +4.6% |
| 1970 | 0.8077 people per person | +3.2% |
| 1971 | 0.8193 people per person | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 0.8236 people per person | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 0.8275 people per person | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 0.8299 people per person | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 0.8301 people per person | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.8332 people per person | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 0.8358 people per person | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 0.8375 people per person | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 0.8418 people per person | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 0.843 people per person | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 0.8443 people per person | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 0.8434 people per person | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 0.8415 people per person | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 0.8428 people per person | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 0.843 people per person | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.8478 people per person | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 0.847 people per person | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 0.8513 people per person | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 0.8544 people per person | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 0.8649 people per person | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 0.8461 people per person | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 0.8509 people per person | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 0.8523 people per person | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 0.8533 people per person | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 0.8542 people per person | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 0.8541 people per person | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.8544 people per person | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.8552 people per person | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 0.8567 people per person | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.857 people per person | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.86 people per person | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 0.8586 people per person | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 0.8576 people per person | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 0.8583 people per person | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 0.8595 people per person | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 0.8588 people per person | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.8592 people per person | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.8596 people per person | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.8593 people per person | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.858 people per person | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.858 people per person | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.8585 people per person | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.8593 people per person | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 0.8563 people per person | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 0.8524 people per person | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 0.847 people per person | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 0.8416 people per person | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 0.8381 people per person | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.8413 people per person | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.8377 people per person | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.8421 people per person | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 0.8468 people per person | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 0.8345 people per person | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 0.8273 people per person | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 0.8285 people per person | +0.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 0.8285 people per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.8051 people per person, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 0.8285 people per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6545 people per person, 1.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.685 people per person | 0.6258 people per person | 0.7824 people per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.8287 people per person | 0.8077 people per person | 0.8418 people per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8459 people per person | 0.8415 people per person | 0.8544 people per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8542 people per person | 0.8461 people per person | 0.8649 people per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8588 people per person | 0.857 people per person | 0.86 people per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.851 people per person | 0.8381 people per person | 0.8593 people per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8362 people per person | 0.8273 people per person | 0.8468 people per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 45 Switzerland 0.8455 people per person compare
- 46 Norway 0.8375 people per person compare
- 47 United Kingdom 0.834 people per person compare
- 49 Germany 0.8271 people per person compare
- 50 United States 0.8148 people per person compare
- 51 Bahamas 0.8133 people per person compare
More population data for New Zealand
- Population regions 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 long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0744 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0739 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,949 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.628 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.191 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Population density 22.07 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 256,010 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in New Zealand?
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita in New Zealand was 0.8285 people per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8649 people per person in 1990.
- What is the lowest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6258 people per person in 1960.
- How does New Zealand rank for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita?
- New Zealand ranks 48th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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How this figure is calculated
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.