Wellington — UN urban centre
Wellington: 148,555 people. Reference: 2025 annual estimate · World rank #4,086 of 12,138 source urban centres. Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025 (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Source identifier: 486; 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: -41.3039, 174.7821. National context uses World Bank estimates, a separate series and geography; no national share is inferred here.
UN population series
| Year | People | Method |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 77,593 | Estimate |
| 1980 | 81,245 | Estimate |
| 1985 | 81,545 | Estimate |
| 1990 | 82,428 | Estimate |
| 1995 | 87,697 | Estimate |
| 2000 | 91,672 | Estimate |
| 2005 | 102,235 | Estimate |
| 2010 | 107,749 | Estimate |
| 2015 | 113,783 | Estimate |
| 2020 | 147,233 | Estimate |
| 2025 | 148,555 | Estimate |
| 2030 | 149,126 | Projection |
| 2035 | 149,208 | Projection |
| 2040 | 150,853 | Projection |
| 2045 | 148,620 | Projection |
| 2050 | 147,653 | 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.