This report and data analysis was prepared as background information for new Auckland Council elected members, part of their council induction programme in late 2025.

Executive summary

Four significant long-term shifts are shaping Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland: the population is growing, ageing, becoming more culturally diverse, and continuing to experience socioeconomic disparities. Aucklanders’ cultural, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics differ significantly across the region, meaning these changes are occurring unevenly in different areas. These shifts are happening concurrently and influence each other.

This report broadly traces these shifts using available data drawn primarily from Stats NZ’s sub-national population estimates and projections, the New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings, consenting data and the biennial Quality of Life Survey. It is not a full and comprehensive study but does provide an overview of patterns and trends.

Growth

Auckland’s population was estimated at 1,816,000 in 2025; an increase of 17,700 people since 2024. By 2038 the population is projected to be over 2 million and reach 2.3 million by 2048. Most of Auckland’s growth in recent years has been from international migration.

Ageing

Auckland’s population is experiencing a gradual shift in the proportion and number of residents in older age groups. For example, the number of Auckland residents aged 65 years and over increased by 116,100 in the period 1996 to 2023 and is projected to reach 452,650 by 2048. The proportion of people in Auckland aged 65 years and over is also increasing (10.3% in 1996, 13.3% in 2023).

Diversity

The diversity of Auckland’s population is dynamic and continues to change over time.

Limited time series data on people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, intersex, or have other minority genders or sexual identities (LGBTIQ+) hinders accurate representation of how this population is changing within Auckland, but the 2023 Census counted 57,324 Aucklanders (4.9%) in this community.

In 2023, the Stats NZ Health Disability survey estimated that 14 per cent of people living in a household in the Auckland region were disabled.

There has been a steady decrease between 2001 and 2023 in the proportion of Aucklanders identifying with European ethnic groups, from 68.5 per cent in 2001 to 49.8 per cent in 2023, while the proportion identifying with Asian ethnic groups has increased from 13.8 per cent to 31.3 per cent over that time. There have been gradual increases in the proportion of both Māori and Pacific Peoples over this time.

The proportion of Aucklanders born overseas has increased from 39 per cent in 2013 to 43 per cent in 2023. Increasing proportions of people in Auckland were born in Asia – from 15.4 per cent in 2013 to 20.7 per cent in 2023. In recent decades the largest numbers of Asian-born Aucklanders have come from the Philippines, China, and India.

Socioeconomic disparity

In 2023, Auckland had a higher proportion of areas ranked decile 10 (most deprived) on the NZ Dep Index and a smaller proportion of areas in decile 1 (least deprived) compared to New Zealand overall. Areas in southern and western urban Auckland include some of the most relatively deprived areas, while the least deprived areas are in northern urban and rural areas, central-eastern urban areas, and some areas in rural southern Auckland.

The proportion of Auckland households who own their home has decreased over time. In 2023, 59.5 per cent of Auckland households owned their home, down from 73.9 per cent in 1986. While the overall proportion of the Auckland working age population in the labour force has increased over time from 67 per cent in 1996 to 73 per cent in 2025, the proportion of people who are employed is cyclical in response to changes in global economic markets. Similarly, the number and proportion of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) varies over time. The youth NEET rate for Māori and Pacific has been consistently higher than European or Asian by approximately 10 percentage points. In March 2025 the youth NEET rate for Māori was 23.1 per cent and 20.2 per cent for Pacific, compared with 10.4 per cent for European and 10.9 for Asian.

The proportion of Aucklanders who participated in the Quality of Life Survey who reported having ‘enough’ or ‘more than enough’ money to meet their everyday needs dropped from 48 per cent in 2022 to 33 per cent in 2024, and the proportion reporting having ‘just enough money’ increased to 43 per cent.

Concluding thoughts

The shifts indicated in this report are not occurring evenly, with clear geographic variations across local board areas, reflecting differences in housing development, population age structures and ethnic group distribution. The same areas experiencing growth and diversification are often those facing significant socioeconomic challenges, including higher youth NEET rates and lower home ownership levels.

The interplay between these factors underscores the complexity of planning for a city like Auckland, which, as New Zealand’s primate city, differs significantly from other New Zealand centres, yet shares many characteristics with cities internationally.

Auckland Council, February 2026