New Zealand: cities by population
New Zealand has a population of 5,287,479 (UN estimate, 2026), with Wellington as its capital. The 50 largest of its 429 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+37%
since 2000 (3,857,574)
+9%
projected by 2050 (5,755,288)
20
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in New Zealand
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | Auckland | 1,547,200 |
| 2 | Christchurch | Canterbury | 419,200 |
| 3 | Wellington | Wellington Region | 381,900 |
| 4 | Manukau City | Auckland | 362,000 |
| 5 | Hamilton | Waikato Region | 192,100 |
| 6 | Tauranga | Bay of Plenty | 161,000 |
| 7 | Dunedin | Otago | 132,800 |
| 8 | Lower Hutt | Wellington Region | 114,200 |
| 9 | Palmerston North | Manawatu-Wanganui | 90,500 |
| 10 | New Plymouth | Taranaki Region | 90,100 |
| 11 | Hastings | Hawke's Bay Region | 88,300 |
| 12 | Napier | Hawke's Bay Region | 66,400 |
| 13 | Rotorua | Bay of Plenty | 65,901 |
| 14 | Porirua | Wellington Region | 61,500 |
| 15 | Invercargill | Southland | 58,000 |
| 16 | Nelson | Nelson Region | 54,400 |
| 17 | Whangarei | Northland | 50,900 |
| 18 | Whanganui | Manawatu-Wanganui | 49,200 |
| 19 | Upper Hutt | Wellington Region | 47,400 |
| 20 | Gisborne | Gisborne | 38,100 |
| 21 | Papakura | Auckland | 37,720 |
| 22 | Rolleston | Canterbury | 34,100 |
| 23 | Paraparaumu | Wellington Region | 29,900 |
| 24 | Blenheim | Marlborough | 29,800 |
| 25 | Timaru | Canterbury | 29,300 |
| 26 | Masterton | Wellington Region | 28,900 |
| 27 | Taupo | Waikato Region | 27,000 |
| 28 | New Lynn | Auckland | 23,800 |
| 29 | Ashburton | Canterbury | 21,600 |
| 30 | Pukekohe East | Auckland | 21,438 |
| 31 | Stoke | Nelson Region | 20,260 |
| 32 | Richmond | Tasman District | 19,950 |
| 33 | Levin | Manawatu-Wanganui | 19,789 |
| 34 | Rangiora | Canterbury | 19,300 |
| 35 | Whakatane | Bay of Plenty | 18,602 |
| 36 | Otahuhu | Auckland | 17,780 |
| 37 | Takanini | Auckland | 17,060 |
| 38 | Mount Eden | Auckland | 15,650 |
| 39 | Karori | Wellington Region | 15,380 |
| 40 | Cambridge | Waikato Region | 15,192 |
| 41 | Havelock North | Hawke's Bay Region | 14,900 |
| 42 | Mosgiel | Otago | 14,800 |
| 43 | Tokoroa | Waikato Region | 14,500 |
Twenty years earlier: New Zealand in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 4,122,609.
Common questions
What is the population of New Zealand?
New Zealand has a population of 5,287,479, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 5,755,288 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of New Zealand?
Wellington. The largest place we record there is Auckland, with 1,547,200 people.