Facts & figures

We tell a great story here in Wellington, and we find personality goes a long way. But if you're just looking for the facts, well, you've come to the right page

The Wellington Region

The Wellington region is located in the lower North Island of New Zealand, and is made up of eight district and city council areas. There is an estimated number of 542,000 people in the region, which is 11% of New Zealand’s population - see the map to view the estimated population in each area.

The region is home to many diverse cultures, with Statistics New Zealand estimating around 26.9% of residents being born overseas. The population mix consists of:

  • 75% European
  • 14% Maori
  • 13% Asian
  • 8% Pacific Peoples
  • 1.9% Middle Eastern/Latin American/African
  • 1.4 % other (New Zealander)

* Note: Total of more than 100% due to people being able to associate with more than one ethnic group.

The Wellington Region

The Wellington region is located in the lower North Island of New Zealand, and is made up of eight district and city council areas. These are, in order of largest to smallest population:

  • Wellington City
  • Lower Hutt City
  • Upper Hutt City
  • Porirua City
  • Kāpiti Coast District
  • Masterton District
  • South Wairarapa District
  • Carterton District

WellingtonNZ is tasked with enhancing prosperity, vibrancy and liveability across the region.

Population

About 542,000 people live in the Wellington region, which is 11% of New Zealand’s population. The region is home to many diverse cultures, with Statistics New Zealand estimating around 26.9% of residents being born overseas.

The population mix consists of:

  • 75% European
  • 14% Maori
  • 13% Asian
  • 8% Pacific Peoples
  • 1.9% Middle Eastern/Latin American/African
  • 1.4 % other (New Zealander)

* Note: Total of more than 100% due to people being able to associate with more than one ethnic group.

Economics & workforce

Around 81% of people in Wellington have a formal qualification, and 33% hold a tertiary qualification or equivalent - compared with 25% of New Zealand as a whole (Statistics New Zealand, 2018).

As of December 2020, there were about 254K filled jobs in the Wellington Region – 11% of Total filled Jobs in NZ (2.25million in Dec 2020).

Top sectors by employment numbers in Wellington Region (2020 data):

  • Central Government Administration
  • Computer Systems Design and Related Services
  • Cafes and Restaurants
  • Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals)
  • Management Advice and Other Consulting Services

Top industries advertising positions to be filled as of January 2021 (seek.co.nz):

  • Information & Communication Technology
  • Government and Defence
  • Trades and Services
  • Admin and Office Support
  • Healthcare and Medical

For current figures please visit seek.co.nz/jobs/in-All-Wellington.

Quality of life

Wellingtonians topped the charts in The Nielsen Quality of Life Survey, with 16% rating their quality of life as "extremely good". Another 73% considered it "very good" or "good". They also had the strongest perception of their area as a great place to live, had the greatest pride in the look and feel of the region and were the highest users of public transport. To top it off, there were top ratings for Wellington's safety and diversity. We can't argue with that!

Wellington is a super cool and small city. So compact in fact that 18,000 of the city’s residents walk or jog to work. The residents are a lucky bunch - nearly all Wellingtonians are within 3km of the sea which means easy access to our 497km of coastline. On top of all that seaside goodness, Wellington has 363km of mountain bike and walking tracks around the city.

Income:

External insights

Economics

Consumer spend

The COVID-19 Consumer Spend dashboard was developed by MBIE to help users understand the impact of COVID-19 on consumer spending in NZ over time. The dashboard contains weekly consumer spend data that indicates change in expenditure patterns in the economy.

Labour Market Fact Sheet

The monthly labour market fact sheet summarises high-frequency and timely data and surveys with a focus around the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market. It is designed to supplement the quarterly labour market snapshot.

COVID-19 Data Portal

StatsNZ has published a data portal with economic, health and income support data to help us monitor the impact of COVID-19 on our economy.

Tourism

Accommodation Data Programme

Use ADP reports to find the latest occupancy rates and visitor nights to each Regional Tourism Organisation Region of NZ.

Domestic Visitors Insight

Insights to what Domestic Visitors might be visiting Wellington (or any other RTO), what they want to do, where will they stay and how would they get here.