Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in New Zealand
New Zealand: Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area was 0.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in New Zealand, 1991–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in New Zealand stood at 0.7%.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 21,479.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in New Zealand peaked at 0.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, -0.0%, in 2015.
New Zealand ranks 16th of 228 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 0.0% | -0.0% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | -0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 13 Wallis and Futuna 0.8% compare
- 14 United States Virgin Islands 0.7% compare
- 15 China 0.7% compare
- 17 Pakistan 0.7% compare
- 18 Jamaica 0.6% compare
- 19 Philippines 0.6% compare
More environment data for New Zealand
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 77.84 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 14.71 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 29.69 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0763 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.671 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0207 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 34.4 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0183 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0794 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 3.78 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in New Zealand?
- Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area in New Zealand was 0.7% in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in forest area as a share of forest area recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest annual change in forest area as a share of forest area recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.0% in 2015.
- How does New Zealand rank for annual change in forest area as a share of forest area?
- New Zealand ranks 16th out of 228 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual change in forest area as a share of forest area rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21,479.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in forest area as a share of forest area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual net change in forest area measures forest expansion (the sum of afforestation and natural expansion) minus deforestation.