Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in Australia and New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand: Land area equipped for irrigation — Area was 2,995 1000 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in Australia and New Zealand, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.
Analysis
In 2024, land area equipped for irrigation — area in Australia and New Zealand stood at 2,995 1000 ha.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land area equipped for irrigation — area in Australia and New Zealand peaked at 3,125 1000 ha in 2007 and was at its lowest, 1,078 1000 ha, in 1961.
That places Australia and New Zealand 21st out of 184 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Land area equipped for irrigation — Area in Australia and New Zealand, year by year
| Year | 1000 ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1,078 1000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 1,136 1000 ha | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 1,152 1000 ha | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 1,251 1000 ha | +8.6% |
| 1965 | 1,367 1000 ha | +9.3% |
| 1966 | 1,443 1000 ha | +5.6% |
| 1967 | 1,427 1000 ha | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 1,442 1000 ha | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 1,571 1000 ha | +8.9% |
| 1970 | 1,587 1000 ha | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 1,595 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 1,609 1000 ha | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 1,608 1000 ha | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 1,606 1000 ha | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 1,619 1000 ha | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 1,639 1000 ha | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 1,646 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 1,653 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 1,660 1000 ha | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 1,683 1000 ha | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 1,854 1000 ha | +10.2% |
| 1982 | 1,863 1000 ha | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 1,865 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 1,865 1000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1,956 1000 ha | +4.9% |
| 1986 | 2,030 1000 ha | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 2,104 1000 ha | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 2,110 1000 ha | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 2,113 1000 ha | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 2,112 1000 ha | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 2,295 1000 ha | +8.7% |
| 1992 | 2,354 1000 ha | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 2,392 1000 ha | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 2,693 1000 ha | +12.6% |
| 1995 | 2,685 1000 ha | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 2,675 1000 ha | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 2,665 1000 ha | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 2,650 1000 ha | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 2,536 1000 ha | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 2,669 1000 ha | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 3,006 1000 ha | +12.6% |
| 2002 | 3,013 1000 ha | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 3,035 1000 ha | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 3,098 1000 ha | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 3,078 1000 ha | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 2,979 1000 ha | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 3,125 1000 ha | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 3,106 1000 ha | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 3,087 1000 ha | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 3,067 1000 ha | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 3,047 1000 ha | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 3,029 1000 ha | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 3,105 1000 ha | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 3,093 1000 ha | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 2,925 1000 ha | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 2,890 1000 ha | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 2,991 1000 ha | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 3,045 1000 ha | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 2,690 1000 ha | -11.7% |
| 2020 | 2,272 1000 ha | -15.5% |
| 2021 | 2,701 1000 ha | +18.9% |
| 2022 | 2,738 1000 ha | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 2,976 1000 ha | +8.7% |
| 2024 | 2,995 1000 ha | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,319 1000 ha | 1,078 1000 ha | 1,571 1000 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 1,622 1000 ha | 1,587 1000 ha | 1,660 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,944 1000 ha | 1,683 1000 ha | 2,113 1000 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,506 1000 ha | 2,112 1000 ha | 2,693 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,020 1000 ha | 2,669 1000 ha | 3,125 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,988 1000 ha | 2,690 1000 ha | 3,105 1000 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,737 1000 ha | 2,272 1000 ha | 2,995 1000 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia and New Zealand
More environment data for Australia and New Zealand
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.87 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.39 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 1.39 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.335 °C (2025)
- Total fibre furnish — Production 4.99 million t (2024)
- Recovered paper — Production 2.98 million t (2024)
- Agricultural land — Value of agricultural production (Int. $) per Area 187.5 USD_PPP/ha (2024)
- Cropland — Area per capita 1.01 ha/cap (2024)
- Cropland — Share in Land area 4.06 % (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land area equipped for irrigation — area in Australia and New Zealand?
- Land area equipped for irrigation — area in Australia and New Zealand was 2,995 1000 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest land area equipped for irrigation — area recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 3,125 1000 ha in 2007.
- What is the lowest land area equipped for irrigation — area recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,078 1000 ha in 1961.
- How does Australia and New Zealand rank for land area equipped for irrigation — area?
- Australia and New Zealand ranks 21st out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is land area equipped for irrigation — area rising or falling in Australia and New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia and New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Land area equipped for irrigation — Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.