Ranked: The 30 Largest Cities in Oceania by Population

Ranked: The 30 Largest Cities in Oceania by Population

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Oceania is the world’s smallest continent by land area, and the second-least populated after Antarctica.

The continent’s urban population is largely concentrated in the largest economic hubs, primarily in Australia and New Zealand.

This infographic ranks Oceania’s 30 most populated cities in 2025 using data from the UN World Population Prospects 2025.

Urban populations can be measured in different ways. In this methodology, the UN looks at satellite-mapped urban footprints for consistency. For this reason some city populations may not line up exactly as you may expect.

The 30 Largest Cities in Oceania

Here’s how the region’s largest cities stack up by population:

Rank	Country	City	2025 Population
1	Australia	Sydney	4,151,000
2	Australia	Melbourne	3,640,000
3	New Zealand	Auckland	1,123,000
4	Australia	Perth	1,079,000
5	Australia	Brisbane	1,072,000
6	Australia	Adelaide	879,000
7	Australia	Canberra	485,000
8	Papua New Guinea	Port Moresby	413,000
9	Australia	Point Cook	405,000
10	Australia	Gold Coast	299,000
11	New Zealand	Glenfield	275,000
12	New Zealand	Christchurch	261,000
13	Fiji	Suva	226,000
14	Australia	Newcastle	183,000
15	New Zealand	Hamilton	166,000
16	New Zealand	Papakura	154,000
17	New Zealand	Wellington	149,000
18	Papua New Guinea	Mendi	133,000
19	Solomon Islands	Honiara	131,000
20	New Caledonia	Nouméa	124,000
21	Australia	Dallas	122,000
22	Papua New Guinea	Lae	122,000
23	Papua New Guinea	Mount Hagen	107,000
24	Australia	Wollongong	106,000
25	Australia	North Lakes	102,000
26	Australia	Hackham West	100,000
27	Australia	Campbelltown	98,000
28	Papua New Guinea	Goroka	95,000
29	Papua New Guinea	Madang	93,000
30	French Polynesia	Papeete	92,000

Sydney’s population of 4.15 million makes it the largest metropolitan area in the region, and it has long held this title since 1975. Melbourne, Australia’s cultural capital, follows closely behind at 3.64 million.

Around 80% of Australia’s population is in the southeast due to favorable climate conditions and historically well-established ports. Perth is the only major city on the West Coast by population.

Outside Australia, Auckland stands out as the largest city in New Zealand, home to just over 1.1 million people. Other major New Zealand cities, including Christchurch, Hamilton, and Wellington, also make the top 30, but with significantly smaller populations.

Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea places six cities in the top 30, led by its capital city Port Moresby with a population of 413,000.

Oceania’s Urban Population Disparity

Most Pacific Island nations in Oceania consist of small populations spread across remote islands. On the contrary, Australia’s large landmass, infrastructure, and economic strength support multiple million-plus cities, skewing the region’s population distribution.

However, major cities in Australia are growing at a much slower rate relative to emerging cities like Mendi and Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea, where the population is growing by more than 2% annually.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, explore more global urbanization and population insights on Voronoi, including Every City With Over 1 Million People.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-oceanias-most-populated-cities/