Land use over the long term in New Zealand
New Zealand: Land use over the long term was 8.68 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
8.68 million
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
54th
of 202 countries
All-time high
14.73 million
in 1981
All-time low
0
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Land use over the long term in New Zealand, 1000–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, land use over the long term in New Zealand stood at 8.68 million.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use over the long term in New Zealand peaked at 14.73 million in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1000.
That places New Zealand 54th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1100s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1200s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1300s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1400s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1500s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1600s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1700s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1710s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1720s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1730s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1740s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1750s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1760s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1770s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1780s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1800s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1810s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1820s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1830s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1840s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1850s | 1.72 million | 1.72 million | 1.72 million | 1 |
| 1860s | 2.00 million | 2.00 million | 2.00 million | 1 |
| 1870s | 2.34 million | 2.34 million | 2.34 million | 1 |
| 1880s | 2.72 million | 2.72 million | 2.72 million | 1 |
| 1890s | 3.62 million | 3.62 million | 3.62 million | 1 |
| 1900s | 4.52 million | 4.52 million | 4.52 million | 1 |
| 1910s | 5.42 million | 5.42 million | 5.42 million | 1 |
| 1920s | 6.64 million | 6.64 million | 6.64 million | 1 |
| 1930s | 7.85 million | 7.85 million | 7.85 million | 1 |
| 1940s | 9.07 million | 9.07 million | 9.07 million | 1 |
| 1950s | 11.37 million | 10.27 million | 12.49 million | 10 |
| 1960s | 12.82 million | 12.69 million | 12.91 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.40 million | 12.68 million | 14.06 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 14.01 million | 13.68 million | 14.73 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.77 million | 12.05 million | 13.49 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.29 million | 10.85 million | 11.89 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.31 million | 9.72 million | 10.84 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.12 million | 8.68 million | 9.55 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
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 land use over the long term in New Zealand?
- Land use over the long term in New Zealand was 8.68 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use over the long term recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 14.73 million in 1981.
- What is the lowest land use over the long term recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1000.
- How does New Zealand rank for land use over the long term?
- New Zealand ranks 54th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is land use over the long term rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Land use over the long term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).