Agricultural land — Area, per square kilometre in New Zealand
New Zealand: Agricultural land — Area, per square kilometre was 0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
97th
of 186 countries
All-time high
0.0577 1000 ha per square kilometre
in 1981
All-time low
0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land — Area, per square kilometre in New Zealand, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in 1000 ha per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agricultural land — area, per square kilometre in New Zealand is 0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land — area, per square kilometre in New Zealand peaked at 0.0577 1000 ha per square kilometre in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 97th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land — Area, per square kilometre in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.05 1000 ha per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.0503 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 0.0505 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 0.0506 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 0.0503 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 0.0503 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 0.0503 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 0.0503 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.0497 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 0.0497 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.0497 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.0512 1000 ha per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 0.0512 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.0512 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.053 1000 ha per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 0.0545 1000 ha per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 0.0542 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 0.0551 1000 ha per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 0.0549 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 0.0554 1000 ha per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 0.0577 1000 ha per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 0.0555 1000 ha per square kilometre | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 0.0554 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 0.055 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 0.0547 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 0.0546 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.0542 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 0.0539 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 0.0536 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 0.0529 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 0.0523 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 0.0517 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 0.0511 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 0.0505 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 0.0499 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 0.0493 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 0.0487 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 0.0481 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 0.0475 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 0.0469 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 0.0463 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.0457 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 0.045 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 0.0452 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 0.0445 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 0.0432 1000 ha per square kilometre | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 0.0436 1000 ha per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 0.0432 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 0.0436 1000 ha per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.0433 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.0432 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 0.0426 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 0.0422 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.0422 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 0.0407 1000 ha per square kilometre | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 0.0403 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 0.0404 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 0.0399 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0393 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.0386 1000 ha per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 0.0386 1000 ha per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 0.037 1000 ha per square kilometre | -4.2% |
| 2023 | 0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre | -0.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0248 1000 ha per square kilometre, 1.5× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.025 1000 ha per square kilometre, 1.5× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0503 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0497 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0506 1000 ha per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0525 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0497 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0551 1000 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.055 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0536 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0577 1000 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0502 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0475 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0529 1000 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0447 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0432 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0469 1000 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0414 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0393 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0433 1000 ha per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0378 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre | 0.0386 1000 ha per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 94 British Virgin Islands 0.038 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
- 95 Slovakia 0.038 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
- 96 Switzerland 0.0378 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
- 98 Niger 0.0368 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
- 99 Colombia 0.0365 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
- 100 Angola 0.0363 1000 ha per square kilometre compare
More environment data for New Zealand
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.2131 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.69 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.379 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.9845 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) -4.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land — area, per square kilometre in New Zealand?
- Agricultural land — area, per square kilometre in New Zealand was 0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest agricultural land — area, per square kilometre recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0577 1000 ha per square kilometre in 1981.
- What is the lowest agricultural land — area, per square kilometre recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0369 1000 ha per square kilometre in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for agricultural land — area, per square kilometre?
- New Zealand ranks 97th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land — area, per square kilometre rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Agricultural land — Area, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Agricultural land — Area divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Agricultural land — Area ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Agricultural land — Area Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Agricultural land — Area divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.