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Living in Invercargill

Invercargill had 48,987 residents in March 2023 and is a city in New Zealand. Invercargill covers 62.95 km², with a population density of 816.6 people per km² in March 2023.

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

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 Invercargill.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

16.8% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 8,220 people of 48,987 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 Invercargill is 3.8%. 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%342–4Invercargill 3.8%16 cities: 4% to under 6%164–68 cities: 6% to under 8%86–81 city: 14% to under 16%114–16

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate3.8 %country median 3.2%31 Dec 2023Stats NZ5Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Invercargill. 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 Invercargill. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport2 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights2Official
Nearest airportIVC3 Aug 2026OurAirports3Official
Distance to nearest airport3 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports3Official

Language courses and integration in Invercargill

1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally
1verified local records
Check courses in InvercargillHow the country programme works
Exact city-linked record checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Climate and air quality

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Invercargill average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°JFMAMJJASOND19°1°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Invercargill average monthly precipitation, mm0306090120897492901089588709010610293JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Invercargill average monthly sunshine, hours0551101652202001761521239583101126146175186202JFMAMJJASONDhours
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average daytime high by monthJan 18.9 · Feb 18.7 · Mar 17.5 · Apr 15 · May 12.5 · Jun 10 · Jul 9.6 · Aug 11.1 · Sep 13 · Oct 14.4 · Nov 15.8 · Dec 17.9 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI8Official
Average night-time low by monthJan 9.5 · Feb 9.4 · Mar 7.8 · Apr 6 · May 4.1 · Jun 2 · Jul 1.1 · Aug 2.2 · Sep 3.9 · Oct 5.5 · Nov 6.9 · Dec 8.6 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI9Official
Average temperature by monthJan 14.2 · Feb 14.1 · Mar 12.7 · Apr 10.5 · May 8.3 · Jun 6 · Jul 5.4 · Aug 6.6 · Sep 8.5 · Oct 10 · Nov 11.3 · Dec 13.3 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI10Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 88.7 · Feb 74.2 · Mar 91.8 · Apr 89.5 · May 108.4 · Jun 95.1 · Jul 88 · Aug 70.4 · Sep 90.4 · Oct 106.2 · Nov 101.7 · Dec 92.9 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI11Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 200.1 · Feb 175.7 · Mar 152.2 · Apr 123.4 · May 94.6 · Jun 82.9 · Jul 101.3 · Aug 125.5 · Sep 145.7 · Oct 175.4 · Nov 186.2 · Dec 201.6 hours31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI12Official

Cities of a similar size in New Zealand

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

All New Zealand cities
Hastings47,682 residentsGisborne52,700 residentsWhangarei53,841 residentsNelson54,300 residentsRotorua55,326 residentsUpper Hutt42,903 residents

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Invercargill residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport83.2%Foreign residents16.8%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area62.95 km²1 Jan 2023Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted.1Official
Foreign-resident share14.8 %31 Dec 2023Stats NZ5Official
Foreign residents8,220 people31 Dec 2023Stats NZ5Official
Population density816.6 people/km²7 Mar 2023Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted.4Official
Population48,987 people7 Mar 2023Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population7Official

International community in Invercargill

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
Asia2,9616.1%
United Kingdom and Ireland1,3172.7%
Pacific Islands9421.9%
Australia7501.5%
Middle East and Africa6871.4%
Other4380.9%
Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland)3540.7%
North America2070.4%

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
New Zealand European38,32578.2%
Māori9,23118.8%
Other European1,9714.0%
Southeast Asian1,4192.9%
Indian1,1702.4%
Samoan9391.9%
Cook Islands Maori8491.7%
Chinese7321.5%
Other Asian6391.3%
Other Ethnicity5881.2%
Show 11 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Latin American4620.9%
Tongan2850.6%
Fijian2460.5%
African1710.3%
Asian nfd1560.3%
Other Pacific Peoples1320.3%
European nfd1080.2%
Niuean990.2%
Middle Eastern780.2%
Tokelauan390.1%
Pacific Peoples nfd270.1%

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
European39,88281.4%
Māori9,23118.8%
Asian4,0688.3%
Pacific Peoples2,4064.9%
Middle Eastern/Latin American/African6901.4%
Other Ethnicity5881.2%

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

Is Invercargill 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 worker56%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 45–67%
Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on safety · range 54–74%
Student54%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 42–66%
Family58%strong on family, weak on safety · range 46–70%
Retirement49%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 35–63%
Foreign residents8,220 people31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Population48,987 people7 Mar 2023Official source · Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population
Unemployment rate3.8 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
City area62.95 km²1 Jan 2023Official source · Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted.
Foreign-resident share14.8 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Population density816.6 people/km²7 Mar 2023Official source · Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted.
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-13

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Invercargill 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 Invercargill?

The unemployment rate is 3.8 %. Source: Stats NZ.

How many people live in Invercargill?

The published population is 48,987 people. Source: Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population.

How many foreign residents live in Invercargill?

8,220 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Stats NZ.

Is Invercargill a good place to live?

Invercargill 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 Invercargill?

The official country of birth distribution records 750 people (1.5%) 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 12). Invercargill, New Zealand: jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/invercargill/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_invercargill-new-zealand-jobs-climate_ca6f81eca4f5,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Invercargill, New Zealand: jobs, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/invercargill/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Invercargill, New Zealand: jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/invercargill/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

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. Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted. services2.arcgis.com · checked 2023-01-01
  2. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  3. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  4. Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted. services2.arcgis.com · checked 2023-03-07
  5. Stats NZ tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Stats NZ / Tatauranga Aotearoa tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-30
  7. Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries · tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-13
  8. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  9. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  10. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
Show 2 more sources
  1. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  2. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03

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.