Agricultural land per capita in New Zealand
New Zealand: Agricultural land per capita was 1.88 hectares per capita in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.88 hectares per capita
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
26th
of 226 countries
All-time high
5.42 hectares per capita
in 1961
All-time low
1.88 hectares per capita
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land per capita 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 per capita.
Analysis
In 2023, agricultural land per capita in New Zealand stood at 1.88 hectares per capita. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 24.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land per capita in New Zealand peaked at 5.42 hectares per capita in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.88 hectares per capita, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 26th of 226 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land per capita in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | hectares per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.42 hectares per capita | — |
| 1962 | 5.33 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 5.24 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1964 | 5.14 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 1965 | 5.03 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1966 | 4.93 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 4.86 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 1968 | 4.81 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 4.7 hectares per capita | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 4.64 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 1971 | 4.56 hectares per capita | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 4.62 hectares per capita | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 4.53 hectares per capita | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 4.43 hectares per capita | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 4.51 hectares per capita | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 4.59 hectares per capita | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 4.55 hectares per capita | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 4.61 hectares per capita | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 4.6 hectares per capita | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 4.64 hectares per capita | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 4.81 hectares per capita | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 4.59 hectares per capita | -4.5% |
| 1983 | 4.53 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 4.45 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 4.4 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 4.38 hectares per capita | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 4.33 hectares per capita | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 4.28 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 4.23 hectares per capita | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 4.1 hectares per capita | -3.1% |
| 1991 | 3.95 hectares per capita | -3.5% |
| 1992 | 3.85 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 3.76 hectares per capita | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 3.67 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 3.57 hectares per capita | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 3.48 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 3.39 hectares per capita | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 3.32 hectares per capita | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 3.26 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 3.2 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 3.13 hectares per capita | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 3.04 hectares per capita | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 2.95 hectares per capita | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 2.91 hectares per capita | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 2.83 hectares per capita | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 2.72 hectares per capita | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 2.72 hectares per capita | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 2.67 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 2.67 hectares per capita | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2.62 hectares per capita | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 2.59 hectares per capita | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 2.54 hectares per capita | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 2.49 hectares per capita | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 2.46 hectares per capita | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 2.32 hectares per capita | -5.5% |
| 2016 | 2.25 hectares per capita | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 2.21 hectares per capita | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 2.14 hectares per capita | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 2.07 hectares per capita | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 2 hectares per capita | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 1.99 hectares per capita | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 1.9 hectares per capita | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 1.88 hectares per capita | -1.2% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 1.88 hectares per capita is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.2317 hectares per capita, 8.1× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 1.88 hectares per capita is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1895 hectares per capita, 9.9× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.05 hectares per capita | 4.7 hectares per capita | 5.42 hectares per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.56 hectares per capita | 4.43 hectares per capita | 4.64 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.46 hectares per capita | 4.23 hectares per capita | 4.81 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.64 hectares per capita | 3.26 hectares per capita | 4.1 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.88 hectares per capita | 2.67 hectares per capita | 3.2 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.37 hectares per capita | 2.07 hectares per capita | 2.62 hectares per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.94 hectares per capita | 1.88 hectares per capita | 2 hectares per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More agriculture & rural data for New Zealand
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 1.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1262 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -1.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.76 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -10.07 % change on previous year (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,976 current US$ per person (2023)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.275 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land per capita in New Zealand?
- Agricultural land per capita in New Zealand was 1.88 hectares per capita 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 agricultural land per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 5.42 hectares per capita in 1961.
- What is the lowest agricultural land per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.88 hectares per capita in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for agricultural land per capita?
- New Zealand ranks 26th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land per capita rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Agricultural land per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Agricultural land is the sum of cropland and land used as pasture for grazing livestock.