Share of population urban in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of population urban was 84 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
84
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
58th
of 236 countries
All-time high
85.94
in 2006
All-time low
55.07
in 1955
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population urban in New Zealand, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 84 for share of population urban in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population urban in New Zealand peaked at 85.94 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 55.07, in 1955.
New Zealand ranks 58th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population urban in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 55.25 | — |
| 1951 | 55.2 | -0.1% |
| 1952 | 55.13 | -0.1% |
| 1953 | 55.09 | -0.1% |
| 1954 | 55.07 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | 55.07 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | 55.16 | +0.2% |
| 1957 | 56.17 | +1.8% |
| 1958 | 58.05 | +3.3% |
| 1959 | 60.28 | +3.8% |
| 1960 | 62.38 | +3.5% |
| 1961 | 63.87 | +2.4% |
| 1962 | 64.86 | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 65.67 | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 66.47 | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 67.44 | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 68.83 | +2.1% |
| 1967 | 71.3 | +3.6% |
| 1968 | 74.6 | +4.6% |
| 1969 | 77.91 | +4.4% |
| 1970 | 80.45 | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 81.52 | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 81.93 | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 82.26 | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 82.52 | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 82.72 | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 82.9 | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 83.05 | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 83.19 | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 83.3 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 83.41 | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 83.5 | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 83.57 | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 83.63 | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 83.69 | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 83.76 | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 83.87 | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 84.05 | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 84.3 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 84.55 | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 84.78 | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 84.95 | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 85.08 | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 85.2 | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 85.3 | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 85.39 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 85.47 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 85.54 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 85.6 | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 85.66 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 85.71 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 85.75 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 85.81 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 85.86 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 85.9 | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 85.93 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 85.94 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 85.93 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 85.91 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 85.89 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 85.86 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 85.82 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 85.78 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 85.71 | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 85.51 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 85.15 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 84.69 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 84.17 | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 83.8 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 83.81 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 83.81 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 83.83 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 83.85 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 83.89 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 83.94 | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 84 | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 56.05 | 55.07 | 60.28 | 10 |
| 1960s | 68.33 | 62.38 | 77.91 | 10 |
| 1970s | 82.38 | 80.45 | 83.3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 83.83 | 83.41 | 84.55 | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.3 | 84.78 | 85.66 | 10 |
| 2000s | 85.86 | 85.71 | 85.94 | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.03 | 83.8 | 85.86 | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.89 | 83.81 | 84 | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 55 Switzerland 85.73 compare
- 56 Peru 85.6 compare
- 57 Saudi Arabia 84.61 compare
- 59 Norway 83.57 compare
- 60 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 83.32 compare
- 61 Canada 82.88 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)
- Population growth rate -0.077 (2100)
- Population density 22.07 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 256,010 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population urban in New Zealand?
- Share of population urban in New Zealand was 84 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population urban recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 85.94 in 2006.
- What is the lowest share of population urban recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.07 in 1955.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of population urban?
- New Zealand ranks 58th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population urban rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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