Around one third of New Zealand's population (34 per cent) lives in Auckland.
This proportion is projected to increase to 37 per cent by 2048.
While the growth is expected to continue, the pace of growth is projected to slow.
Ethnic diversity
Auckland is home to people from many places, cultures and traditions. This rich diversity will continue to increase.
In the next few decades, Auckland will be home to even greater numbers of people in the broad Asian and Pacific groupings in particular.
These communities have already grown substantially over the last few decades.
In the latest available Census (2018) over a quarter (29 per cent) of Auckland residents identified with an Asian ethnicity, and Auckland was home to almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of all Asian peoples in New Zealand. The broad Asian ethnic group is projected to increase significantly in Auckland, from both immigration and natural increase. (Read more about
Auckland's Asian population.)
Pacific people will continue to play a significant role in Auckland's growth and change.
Stats NZ ethnic population projections (medium series) suggest that the number of Pacific people could increase from 16 per cent of Auckland's population in 2018 to 18 per cent by 2043.
Today's Pacific population is mostly New Zealand-born, predominantly young, and highly urbanised. (Read more about
Pacific people.)
Auckland’s Māori population is also increasing and will continue to grow. (Read more about
Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau.)
Increased numbers and proportion of older residents
The number of older Aucklanders (those aged 65 and over) is expected to almost double in the two decades from 2018, reaching a total of 376,200 people by 2038. (See
Older Aucklanders: A Quality of Life Status report (PDF 4.8MB).)
Such rapid growth is not predicted in any other age group, and will have direct impacts on our health, support, and transport services.
Furthermore, older Aucklanders will make up a greater proportion of the population. This is unprecedented in New Zealand, but is consistent with international trends.
Children and young people
At the time of the 2018 Census, a third of all children and young people in New Zealand (those aged under 25 years) lived in Auckland. In turn, children and young people made up over a third of the Auckland population.
The combined demographic forces of population growth and structural ageing means that while there will be more children and young people living in Auckland in the next few decades, the proportion of Aucklanders who are children and young people will decrease.
Rate of population growth slowing
Across all population projections, Auckland's rate of growth is anticipated to slow slightly from that experienced in recent years. Even so, this growth creates challenges for Auckland which are explored further in the challenges section.
