Land use in New Zealand
New Zealand: Land use was 592,000 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
592,000 hectares
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
128th
of 224 countries
All-time high
690,000 hectares
in 2021
All-time low
397,500 hectares
in 1974
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in New Zealand, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land use in New Zealand is 592,000 hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in New Zealand peaked at 690,000 hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 397,500 hectares, in 1974.
That places New Zealand 128th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 406,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 405,800 hectares | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 401,650 hectares | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 397,500 hectares | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 413,500 hectares | +4.0% |
| 1976 | 429,500 hectares | +3.9% |
| 1977 | 431,200 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 432,900 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 453,000 hectares | +4.6% |
| 1980 | 435,000 hectares | -4.0% |
| 1981 | 452,500 hectares | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 470,000 hectares | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 482,500 hectares | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 495,000 hectares | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 512,000 hectares | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 508,000 hectares | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 464,000 hectares | -8.7% |
| 1988 | 420,000 hectares | -9.5% |
| 1989 | 423,500 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 427,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 429,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 432,087 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 434,784 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 437,459 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 440,148 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 442,832 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 445,578 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 448,333 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 451,095 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 453,879 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 456,700 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 459,400 hectares | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 470,000 hectares | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 483,000 hectares | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 488,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 462,000 hectares | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 500,000 hectares | +8.2% |
| 2008 | 522,000 hectares | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 542,000 hectares | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 570,000 hectares | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 542,000 hectares | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 580,400 hectares | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 618,000 hectares | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 657,000 hectares | +6.3% |
| 2015 | 545,000 hectares | -17.0% |
| 2016 | 608,000 hectares | +11.6% |
| 2017 | 558,000 hectares | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 589,000 hectares | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 620,000 hectares | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 601,000 hectares | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 690,000 hectares | +14.8% |
| 2022 | 605,000 hectares | -12.3% |
| 2023 | 592,000 hectares | -2.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 592,000 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 2.0× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 592,000 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 141,800 hectares, 4.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 406,000 hectares | 406,000 hectares | 406,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 417,705 hectares | 397,500 hectares | 453,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 466,250 hectares | 420,000 hectares | 512,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 438,832 hectares | 427,000 hectares | 451,095 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 483,698 hectares | 453,879 hectares | 542,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 588,740 hectares | 542,000 hectares | 657,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 622,000 hectares | 592,000 hectares | 690,000 hectares | 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 land use in New Zealand?
- Land use in New Zealand was 592,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 690,000 hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 397,500 hectares in 1974.
- How does New Zealand rank for land use?
- New Zealand ranks 128th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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