This is a list of cities and towns in the South Island of New Zealand by the population of their urban area.
The populations given in the table below are provisional New Zealand usually resident populations, estimates, and refer to the urban area defined under the Statistical Standard for Geographic Areas 2018 (SSGA) unless otherwise stated.
| Urban area | Population | Region | Territorial authority | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christchurch City Council | ||||
| Dunedin City Council | ||||
| Invercargill City Council | ||||
| Nelson City Council | ||||
† Timaru was officially a city until local government reorganisation in 1989, and is still frequently referred to as such.
The following suburbs have a population of over 2,000.
| Suburb | Population | Region | Territorial authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9,786 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 9,024 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 8,007 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 7,653 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 7,176 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 6,876 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 5,733 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 5,478 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 4,065 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 3,978 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 3,726 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 3,642 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 3,543 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 3,012 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 2,898 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 2,454 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| 2,370 | Christchurch City Council | ||
| Suburb | Population | Region | Territorial authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mosgiel‡ | 10,497 | Dunedin City Council | |
| 7,047 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 5,904 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 5,058 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 4,413 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 4,179 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 3,957 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 3,918 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 3,393 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 3,393 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 3,069 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| Port Chalmers‡ | ~3,000 | Dunedin City Council | |
| 2,835 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 2,538 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 2,532 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| Green Island‡ | 2,430 | Dunedin City Council | |
| 2,406 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 2,259 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| 2,010 | Dunedin City Council | ||
| Suburb | Population | Region | Territorial authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,855 | Invercargill City Council | ||
| 3,768 | Invercargill City Council | ||
| 3,342 | Invercargill City Council | ||
| 3,078 | Invercargill City Council | ||
| 2,910 | Invercargill City Council | ||
| 2,229 | Invercargill City Council | ||
| 2,193 | Invercargill City Council | ||
| Suburb | Population | Region | Territorial authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~7,000 | Nelson City Council | ||
| 2,730 | Nelson City Council | ||
| 2,412 | Nelson City Council | ||
| 2,154 | Nelson City Council | ||
| ~2,000 | Nelson City Council | ||
| Nelson City Council | |||
| Nelson City Council | |||
| Nelson City Council | |||
| Nelson City Council | |||
| Suburb | Population | Town | Territorial authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,172 | Ashburton District Council | ||
| 4,881 | Marlborough District Council | ||
| 4,005 | Marlborough District Council | ||
| 3,993 | Marlborough District Council | ||
| 3,741 | Timaru District Council | ||
| 3,408 | Timaru District Council | ||
| 3,081 | Marlborough District Council | ||
| West End | 2,790 | Timaru District Council | |
| 2,703 | Ashburton District Council | ||
| 2,694 | Marlborough District Council | ||
| 2,505 | Timaru District Council | ||
| 2,412 | Timaru District Council | ||
| 2,325 | Ashburton District Council | ||
| 2,256 | Timaru District Council | ||
| 2,022 | Timaru District Council | ||