Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Zealand
New Zealand: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 1.20 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Zealand, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 1.20 million people for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Zealand peaked at 1.20 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 706,255 people, in 1950.
That places New Zealand 124th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 706,255 people | — |
| 1955 | 755,064 people | +6.9% |
| 1960 | 802,460 people | +6.3% |
| 1965 | 849,774 people | +5.9% |
| 1970 | 888,661 people | +4.6% |
| 1975 | 935,593 people | +5.3% |
| 1980 | 938,708 people | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 966,968 people | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 990,421 people | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 1.02 million people | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 1.04 million people | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 1.08 million people | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 1.13 million people | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 1.18 million people | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 1.20 million people | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 730,660 people | 706,255 people | 755,064 people | 2 |
| 1960s | 826,117 people | 802,460 people | 849,774 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 912,127 people | 888,661 people | 935,593 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 952,838 people | 938,708 people | 966,968 people | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.00 million people | 990,421 people | 1.02 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.06 million people | 1.04 million people | 1.08 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.15 million people | 1.13 million people | 1.18 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.20 million people | 1.20 million people | 1.20 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
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 cities, towns and rural areas in New Zealand?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Zealand was 1.20 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1.20 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 706,255 people in 1950.
- How does New Zealand rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- New Zealand ranks 124th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.