Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in New Zealand
New Zealand: Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of was 8.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in New Zealand, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2023, level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in New Zealand stood at 8.1%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in New Zealand peaked at 8.1% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2000.
New Zealand ranks 106th of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.8% | — |
| 2001 | 3.0% | +7.6% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 3.4% | +6.3% |
| 2004 | 3.6% | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 3.8% | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 4.0% | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 4.1% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 4.1% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 4.2% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 4.2% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 5.2% | +22.4% |
| 2012 | 6.1% | +18.3% |
| 2013 | 7.1% | +15.6% |
| 2014 | 8.1% | +13.4% |
| 2015 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8.1% | +0.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 8.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 68% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 8.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.0%, 1.1× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.6% | 2.8% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 4.2% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.1% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 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)
- Nutrient potash K2O (total) — Agricultural Use, gaps filled 132,218 t (2024)
- Nutrient potash K2O (total) — Agricultural Use, annual growth rate 20.87 % change on previous year (2024)
- Country area — Area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Country area — Area, per unit of GDP 0 1000 ha per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Country area — Area, per capita 0.0051 1000 ha per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in New Zealand?
- Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of in New Zealand was 8.1% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 8.1% in 2014.
- What is the lowest level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2000.
- How does New Zealand rank for level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of?
- New Zealand ranks 106th out of 196 countries with data for 2023.
- Is level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).