Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita was 76.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita in New Zealand, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 76.3% for share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in New Zealand peaked at 76.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 63.0%, in 1950.
New Zealand ranks 101st of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 63.0% | — |
| 1955 | 64.7% | +2.6% |
| 1960 | 66.3% | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 67.8% | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 68.5% | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 69.8% | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 70.2% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 70.4% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 70.8% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 72.3% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 73.0% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 73.8% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 74.1% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 74.4% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 76.3% | +2.5% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 76.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 76.2%, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 76.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 70.5%, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 63.9% | 63.0% | 64.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 67.0% | 66.3% | 67.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 69.1% | 68.5% | 69.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 70.3% | 70.2% | 70.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 71.6% | 70.8% | 72.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 73.4% | 73.0% | 73.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 74.2% | 74.1% | 74.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 76.3% | 76.3% | 76.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 98 Kazakhstan 76.7% compare
- 99 Turks and Caicos Islands 76.6% compare
- 100 Turkmenistan 76.5% compare
- 102 Canada 76.2% compare
- 103 El Salvador 76.1% compare
- 104 Switzerland 76.0% 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 share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in New Zealand?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in New Zealand was 76.3% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 76.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.0% in 1950.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita?
- New Zealand ranks 101st out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. 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 Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.