Industrial water withdrawal in New Zealand
New Zealand: Industrial water withdrawal was 1.18 billion cubic meters in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
1.18 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
47th
of 180 countries
All-time high
1.18 billion cubic meters
in 2010
All-time low
190.00 million cubic meters
in 1985
Years of data
39
1985–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in New Zealand, 1985–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
In 2023, industrial water withdrawal in New Zealand stood at 1.18 billion cubic meters. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in New Zealand peaked at 1.18 billion cubic meters in 2010 and was at its lowest, 190.00 million cubic meters, in 1985.
New Zealand ranks 47th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Industrial water withdrawal in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 190.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1986 | 198.86 million cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 207.71 million cubic meters | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 216.57 million cubic meters | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 225.43 million cubic meters | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 234.29 million cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 243.14 million cubic meters | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 252.00 million cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 260.86 million cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 269.71 million cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 278.57 million cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 287.43 million cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 296.29 million cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 305.14 million cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 314.00 million cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 200.00 million cubic meters | -36.3% |
| 2001 | 323.17 million cubic meters | +61.6% |
| 2002 | 446.33 million cubic meters | +38.1% |
| 2003 | 569.50 million cubic meters | +27.6% |
| 2004 | 692.67 million cubic meters | +21.6% |
| 2005 | 815.83 million cubic meters | +17.8% |
| 2006 | 939.00 million cubic meters | +15.1% |
| 2007 | 1.00 billion cubic meters | +6.5% |
| 2008 | 1.06 billion cubic meters | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 1.12 billion cubic meters | +5.8% |
| 2010 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 1.18 billion cubic meters is above the median for high income countries, which is 668.45 million cubic meters, 1.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 1.18 billion cubic meters is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.18 billion cubic meters, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Industrial water withdrawal in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +61.6% | 200.00 million cubic meters | 323.17 million cubic meters |
| 2000 | -36.3% | 314.00 million cubic meters | 200.00 million cubic meters |
| 2002 | +38.1% | 323.17 million cubic meters | 446.33 million cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 207.71 million cubic meters | 190.00 million cubic meters | 225.43 million cubic meters | 5 |
| 1990s | 274.14 million cubic meters | 234.29 million cubic meters | 314.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 717.10 million cubic meters | 200.00 million cubic meters | 1.12 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.18 billion cubic meters | 1.18 billion cubic meters | 1.18 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.18 billion cubic meters | 1.18 billion cubic meters | 1.18 billion cubic 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)
- 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 industrial water withdrawal in New Zealand?
- Industrial water withdrawal in New Zealand was 1.18 billion cubic meters in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industrial water withdrawal recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1.18 billion cubic meters in 2010.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 190.00 million cubic meters in 1985.
- How does New Zealand rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- New Zealand ranks 47th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Industrial water withdrawal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.