Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in New Zealand

New Zealand: Arable land — Share in Agricultural land was 5.39 % in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
5.39 %
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
198th
of 214 countries
All-time high
6.05 %
in 2021
All-time low
2.64 %
in 1988
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in New Zealand, 1961–2024

0246196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, arable land — share in agricultural land in New Zealand stood at 5.39 %.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arable land — share in agricultural land in New Zealand peaked at 6.05 % in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.64 %, in 1988.

New Zealand ranks 198th of 214 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in New Zealand, 1961 to 2024.
Year % Change
1961 2.89 %
1962 2.88 % -0.3%
1963 2.86 % -0.7%
1964 2.85 % -0.3%
1965 2.87 % +0.7%
1966 2.87 % +0.0%
1967 2.85 % -0.7%
1968 2.85 % +0.0%
1969 2.89 % +1.4%
1970 2.87 % -0.7%
1971 2.87 % +0.0%
1972 2.79 % -2.8%
1973 2.76 % -1.1%
1974 2.73 % -1.1%
1975 2.75 % +0.7%
1976 2.78 % +1.1%
1977 2.81 % +1.1%
1978 2.78 % -1.1%
1979 2.91 % +4.7%
1980 2.74 % -5.8%
1981 2.74 % +0.0%
1982 3 % +9.5%
1983 3.06 % +2.0%
1984 3.15 % +2.9%
1985 3.26 % +3.5%
1986 3.23 % -0.9%
1987 2.94 % -9.0%
1988 2.64 % -10.2%
1989 2.68 % +1.5%
1990 2.73 % +1.9%
1991 2.78 % +1.8%
1992 2.85 % +2.5%
1993 2.91 % +2.1%
1994 2.95 % +1.4%
1995 3 % +1.7%
1996 3.06 % +2.0%
1997 3.11 % +1.6%
1998 3.16 % +1.6%
1999 3.22 % +1.9%
2000 3.27 % +1.6%
2001 3.31 % +1.2%
2002 3.34 % +0.9%
2003 3.5 % +4.8%
2004 3.53 % +0.9%
2005 3.63 % +2.8%
2006 3.51 % -3.3%
2007 3.75 % +6.8%
2008 3.98 % +6.1%
2009 4.1 % +3.0%
2010 4.37 % +6.6%
2011 4.14 % -5.3%
2012 4.54 % +9.7%
2013 4.93 % +8.6%
2014 5.31 % +7.7%
2015 4.46 % -16.0%
2016 5.1 % +14.3%
2017 4.61 % -9.6%
2018 4.94 % +7.2%
2019 5.28 % +6.9%
2020 5.19 % -1.7%
2021 6.05 % +16.6%
2022 5.47 % -9.6%
2023 5.35 % -2.2%
2024 5.39 % +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.87 % 2.85 % 2.89 % 9
1970s 2.81 % 2.73 % 2.91 % 10
1980s 2.94 % 2.64 % 3.26 % 10
1990s 2.98 % 2.73 % 3.22 % 10
2000s 3.59 % 3.27 % 4.1 % 10
2010s 4.77 % 4.14 % 5.31 % 10
2020s 5.49 % 5.19 % 6.05 % 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 195 Oman 6.31 % compare
  2. 196 Guam 6.25 % compare
  3. 197 Kiribati 5.88 % compare
  4. 199 Kuwait 5.33 % compare
  5. 200 Congo 5.16 % compare
  6. 201 Yemen 4.86 % compare

See the full ranking of 267 places →

More environment data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is arable land — share in agricultural land in New Zealand?
Arable land — share in agricultural land in New Zealand was 5.39 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest arable land — share in agricultural land recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 6.05 % in 2021.
What is the lowest arable land — share in agricultural land recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 2.64 % in 1988.
How does New Zealand rank for arable land — share in agricultural land?
New Zealand ranks 198th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
Is arable land — share in agricultural land rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Arable land — Share in Agricultural land. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Arable land — Share in Agricultural land in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/arable-land-share-in-agricultural-land/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Arable land — Share in Agricultural land
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
267 places, 15,674 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Land Use domain contains data on twenty-one land use categories and twenty-three categories of irrigation and agricultural practices. Data are available yearly and by country, regional and global levels. The domain includes Land Use Indicators providing information on the percentage share of agricultural and forest land, and their sub-components, including irrigated areas and areas under organic agriculture, within a country land use matrix. Data are available at country, regional and global level, for the following elements: (in percentage) i) Share in Land area; ii) Share in Agricultural land, iii) Share in Cropland; and iv) Share in Forest land; (in ha/pc) v) Area per capita.