Consumption-based deforestation per person in New Zealand
New Zealand: Consumption-based deforestation per person was 10.68 square meters in 2023. ▼ Falling
Consumption-based deforestation per person in New Zealand, 2005–2023
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in square meters.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 10.68 square meters for consumption-based deforestation per person in 2023.
That represents a change of down 5.8% on the previous year and down 28.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, consumption-based deforestation per person in New Zealand peaked at 21.24 square meters in 2007 and was at its lowest, 9.42 square meters, in 2020.
New Zealand ranks 31st of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Consumption-based deforestation per person in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | square meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 18.99 square meters | — |
| 2006 | 17.81 square meters | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 21.24 square meters | +19.2% |
| 2008 | 20.72 square meters | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 19.57 square meters | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 16.96 square meters | -13.3% |
| 2011 | 17.95 square meters | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 17.24 square meters | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 14.9 square meters | -13.6% |
| 2014 | 14.41 square meters | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 14.27 square meters | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 11.38 square meters | -20.2% |
| 2017 | 12.67 square meters | +11.3% |
| 2018 | 12.98 square meters | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 10.92 square meters | -15.9% |
| 2020 | 9.42 square meters | -13.7% |
| 2021 | 10.33 square meters | +9.7% |
| 2022 | 11.34 square meters | +9.8% |
| 2023 | 10.68 square meters | -5.8% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 10.68 square meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.26 square meters, 2.5× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 10.68 square meters is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.83 square meters, 2.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.67 square meters | 17.81 square meters | 21.24 square meters | 5 |
| 2010s | 14.37 square meters | 10.92 square meters | 17.95 square meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.44 square meters | 9.42 square meters | 11.34 square meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
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)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.474 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.9337 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is consumption-based deforestation per person in New Zealand?
- Consumption-based deforestation per person in New Zealand was 10.68 square meters in 2023, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest consumption-based deforestation per person recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 21.24 square meters in 2007.
- What is the lowest consumption-based deforestation per person recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.42 square meters in 2020.
- How does New Zealand rank for consumption-based deforestation per person?
- New Zealand ranks 31st out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
- Is consumption-based deforestation per person rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Consumption-based deforestation per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated average deforestation for agricultural and forestry products, per person. This is adjusted for trade, so it reflects deforestation caused by consumption, not domestic production.