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Living in Dunedin

Dunedin is a city in New Zealand, and the figures below are its published values. Residents of Dunedin numbered 132,800 at the end of 2025. Dunedin's unemployment stood at 5% at the end of 2023. A foreign population count of 27,201 was recorded at the end of 2023.

Which New Zealand-wide rules apply when you move to Dunedin?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in New ZealandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Dunedin.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Dunedin yet. We do not infer one from another place.

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

20.5% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 27,201 people of 132,800 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in New ZealandUnemployment in Dunedin is 5.0%. Of 73 cities with data, 34 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in New Zealand per band14 cities: 0% to under 2%140–234 cities: 2% to under 4%342–416 cities: 4% to under 6%164–6Dunedin 5.0%8 cities: 6% to under 8%86–81 city: 14% to under 16%114–16

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate5 %country median 3.2%31 Dec 2023Stats NZ4Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Dunedin. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Work and Income employment service — Public employment service

Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand

Job Search
Open official service
Open the New Zealand service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Dunedin. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

Dunedin's nearest airport was DUD, 24 km away and offered 3 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count3 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights2Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km24 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports3Official
Nearest Major Airport IataDUD3 Aug 2026OurAirports3Official

Language courses and integration in Dunedin

3 exact course-location records are linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally
3verified local records
Check courses in DunedinHow the country programme works
Exact city-linked records checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperature moved from 13.8°C in January to 7.6°C in July.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 25.77 · Feb 26.17 · Mar 23.39 · Apr 20.17 · May 20.11 · Jun 15.45 · Jul 14.51 · Aug 15.36 · Sep 17.44 · Oct 19.33 · Nov 21.77 · Dec 23.26 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official · coordinate grid
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan 7.8 · Feb 7.4 · Mar 6.66 · Apr 5.75 · May 3.03 · Jun 2.94 · Jul 2.28 · Aug 1.52 · Sep 3.29 · Oct 3.44 · Nov 4.45 · Dec 6.17 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by monthJan 13.8 · Feb 13.89 · Mar 13.15 · Apr 11.59 · May 9.88 · Jun 8.2 · Jul 7.59 · Aug 8.03 · Sep 9.01 · Oct 9.88 · Nov 11.22 · Dec 12.72 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official · coordinate grid

Cities of a similar size in New Zealand

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All New Zealand cities
Lower Hutt114,200 residentsTauranga161,000 residentsHamilton174,741 residentsNew Plymouth90,100 residentsWellington202,689 residentsPalmerston North78,021 residents

Population and city profile

Dunedin spanned 3,286.1 km² at the end of 2023. Population density was 40.4 people per km² at the end of 2024.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Dunedin residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport79.5%Foreign residents20.5%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area3,286 km²31 Dec 2023Stats NZ5Official
Foreign-resident share21.1 %31 Dec 2023Stats NZ4Official
Foreign residents27,201 people31 Dec 2023Stats NZ4Official
Population density40.4 people/km²31 Dec 2024Stats NZ4Official
Population132,800 people31 Dec 2025Stats NZ4Official
Population over time30 published observations, 1996–2025
Population in Dunedin by year, residents118,188123,563128,937134,312199620022008201420202025132,800residents

Population rose 9.9% between 1996 and 2025, from 120,800 to 132,800.

International community in Dunedin

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
Asia7,4737.4%
United Kingdom and Ireland5,7695.7%
Australia2,3582.3%
Middle East and Africa2,2052.2%
Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland)1,7551.7%
North America1,6921.7%
Pacific Islands1,5661.6%
Other4080.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source6

Ancestry or ethnicity

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
European83,70683.0%
Māori11,30411.2%
Asian11,02210.9%
Pacific Peoples4,5634.5%
Middle Eastern/Latin American/African2,0102.0%
Other Ethnicity1,2451.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source6

Ancestry or ethnicity

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
New Zealand European77,88677.2%
Māori11,30411.2%
Other European7,4467.4%
Chinese3,6633.6%
Indian2,7542.7%
Southeast Asian2,7332.7%
Samoan2,0612.0%
Other Asian1,8451.8%
Other Ethnicity1,2451.2%
Middle Eastern1,0951.1%
Show 11 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Cook Islands Maori1,0711.1%
Tongan9210.9%
Latin American5400.5%
African3900.4%
European nfd3660.4%
Fijian3330.3%
Other Pacific Peoples2760.3%
Asian nfd2040.2%
Niuean1980.2%
Tokelauan1140.1%
Pacific Peoples nfd330.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source6

Is Dunedin a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker54%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 43–65%
Skilled employee60%strong on work, weak on safety · range 50–70%
Student57%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 45–69%
Family54%strong on family, weak on safety · range 42–66%
Retirement52%strong on cost, weak on admin · range 38–66%
Foreign residents27,201 people31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Population132,800 people31 Dec 2025Official source · Stats NZ
Unemployment rate5 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
City area3,286 km²31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Foreign-resident share21.1 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Population density40.4 people/km²31 Dec 2024Official source · Stats NZ
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-05

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Dunedin when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Dunedin?

The unemployment rate is 5 %. Source: Stats NZ.

How many people live in Dunedin?

The published population is 132,800 people. Source: Stats NZ.

How many foreign residents live in Dunedin?

27,201 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Stats NZ.

Is Dunedin a good place to live?

Dunedin may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Australia live in Dunedin?

The official country of birth distribution records 2,358 people (2.3%) in the source-defined population for 2023 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 14). Dunedin, New Zealand: jobs, climate, population [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab; version approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/dunedin/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_dunedin-new-zealand-jobs-climate-population_cc8784b60714,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Dunedin, New Zealand: jobs, climate, population},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-14},
  version = {approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab},
  snapshot = {approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/dunedin/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Dunedin, New Zealand: jobs, climate, population](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/dunedin/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab; version approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab; retrieved 2026-09-14; built 2026-09-14.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  2. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  3. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  4. Stats NZ tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Stats NZ services2.arcgis.com · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Stats NZ / Tatauranga Aotearoa tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-30

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.