Auckland has been given a nod for its high ranking in a run down of the world's most culturally diverse cities.

Auckland is revealed as having the fourth largest foreign-born population in the world in an international study, ranking a lineup of the world's most culturally diverse cities.

The city clocks in with 39 percent of the population born overseas.

Only Dubai, Brussels, and Toronto are ranked as cities with larger foreign-born populations anywhere in the world - for Dubai and Brussels the foreign born residents out number local born citizens.

Supplied Auckland clocked in fourth in a ranking of cities with the biggest foreign-born populations

Auckland sits ahead of Sydney, Los Angeles, and even London and New York.

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According to Statistics New Zealand, Auckland, which has around 1.4 million residents, has more than 220 recorded ethnic groups living there.

The 2015 World Migration Report from the International Organisation for Migration looks at how international migrants and migration were shaping cities.

Auckland received a nod from the researchers involved, as one of several cities "paying increasing attention" to the role of migrants.

These cities were "attempting to create an opportunity structure for natives and newcomers alike through partnerships with migrants, the private sector and civil society", the report said.

Chinese New Settlers Trust executive director Genie Wang said Auckland was a popular choice for Chinese migrants, largely because the busy city provided some familiarity, and there were more jobs on offer.

Wang said migrants would often go through four key stages in their process of settlement.

"The first is a honeymoon period", Wang said.

"People often think, 'everything is so green' and think everyone is so interesting here."

For different people this stage would last for varying periods of time.

Wang called the next stage the "culture shock period".

Migrants could start to question why they were there, and doubts were often amplified by a dearth of friends and a lack of a job.

The third stage, Wang said, could be regarded as a turning point for many migrants.

"You realise a whole lot of things. You need to learn english. You need to get a job, and find friends."

On the home run of this difficult process of settlement, Wang said there was often a fourth period, where migrants wanted to pay something back to the community.

"In the initial stages, migrants will need support. But often once they have their lives together they are keen to do something to pay back their community for that help."

Different people would go about this in varying ways, Wang said.