Agriculture-driven deforestation in New Zealand

New Zealand: Agriculture-driven deforestation was 1,383 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1,383 hectares
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
69th
of 187 countries
All-time high
14,192 hectares
in 2007
All-time low
1,345 hectares
in 2023
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Agriculture-driven deforestation in New Zealand, 2001–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k2001201220242001: 4.9k hectares2002: 7.0k hectares2003: 4.9k hectares2004: 7.9k hectares2005: 8.1k hectares2006: 10.2k hectares2007: 14.2k hectares2008: 9.8k hectares2009: 7.1k hectares2010: 5.9k hectares2011: 6.5k hectares2012: 7.2k hectares2013: 9.5k hectares2014: 8.3k hectares2015: 5.0k hectares2016: 6.3k hectares2017: 5.0k hectares2018: 3.8k hectares2019: 2.9k hectares2020: 2.1k hectares2021: 2.2k hectares2022: 2.0k hectares2023: 1.3k hectares2024: 1.4k hectares

Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

The most recent figure for agriculture-driven deforestation in New Zealand is 1,383 hectares, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and down 83.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, agriculture-driven deforestation in New Zealand peaked at 14,192 hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 1,345 hectares, in 2023.

That places New Zealand 69th out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8,237 hectares 4,902 hectares 14,192 hectares 9
2010s 6,053 hectares 2,914 hectares 9,454 hectares 10
2020s 1,817 hectares 1,345 hectares 2,224 hectares 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 66 Chile 1,715 hectares compare
  2. 67 Equatorial Guinea 1,536 hectares compare
  3. 68 El Salvador 1,524 hectares compare
  4. 70 Spain 1,380 hectares compare
  5. 71 Benin 1,374 hectares compare
  6. 72 Haiti 1,103 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More environment data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is agriculture-driven deforestation in New Zealand?
Agriculture-driven deforestation in New Zealand was 1,383 hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 14,192 hectares in 2007.
What is the lowest agriculture-driven deforestation recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 1,345 hectares in 2023.
How does New Zealand rank for agriculture-driven deforestation?
New Zealand ranks 69th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
Is agriculture-driven deforestation rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 83.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agriculture-driven deforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Agriculture-driven deforestation
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
187 places, 4,269 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed

Long-term, permanent tree cover loss for small- to large-scale agriculture.