Christchurch — UN urban centre
Christchurch: 260,804 people. Reference: 2025 annual estimate · World rank #2,237 of 12,138 source urban centres. Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025 (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Source identifier: 336; territory: New Zealand (NZL). UN source workbook.
Method: Degree of Urbanisation (contiguous 1 km2 cells, density 1,500+ people/km2, total 50,000+). This is a source-defined urban centre, not a municipality or province. No association with a separate administrative entity is inferred from proximity or name.
Source centroid: -43.5245, 172.6192. National context uses World Bank estimates, a separate series and geography; no national share is inferred here.
UN population series
| Year | People | Method |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 184,271 | Estimate |
| 1980 | 184,553 | Estimate |
| 1985 | 183,221 | Estimate |
| 1990 | 185,686 | Estimate |
| 1995 | 202,211 | Estimate |
| 2000 | 210,544 | Estimate |
| 2005 | 237,712 | Estimate |
| 2010 | 237,682 | Estimate |
| 2015 | 241,066 | Estimate |
| 2020 | 258,711 | Estimate |
| 2025 | 260,804 | Estimate |
| 2030 | 262,584 | Projection |
| 2035 | 263,861 | Projection |
| 2040 | 264,346 | Projection |
| 2045 | 265,221 | Projection |
| 2050 | 264,769 | Projection |
Largest UN urban centres · Fastest-growing urban centres
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.