Agricultural land in New Zealand
New Zealand: Agricultural land was 36.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Agricultural land in New Zealand, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, agricultural land in New Zealand stood at 36.9%. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land in New Zealand peaked at 57.7% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 36.9%, in 2023.
That places New Zealand 109th out of 210 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 50.0% | — |
| 1962 | 50.3% | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 50.5% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 50.6% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 50.3% | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 50.3% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 50.3% | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 50.3% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 49.7% | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 49.7% | -0.0% |
| 1971 | 49.7% | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 51.2% | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 51.2% | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 51.2% | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 53.0% | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 54.5% | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 54.2% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 55.1% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 54.9% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 55.4% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 57.7% | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 55.5% | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 55.4% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 55.0% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 54.7% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 54.6% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 54.2% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 53.9% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 53.6% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 52.9% | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 52.3% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 51.7% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 51.1% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 50.5% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 49.9% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 49.3% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 48.7% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 48.1% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 47.5% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 46.9% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 46.3% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 45.7% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 45.0% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 45.2% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 44.5% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 43.2% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 43.6% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 43.2% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 43.6% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 43.3% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 43.2% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 42.6% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 42.2% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 42.2% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 40.7% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 40.3% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 40.4% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 39.9% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 39.3% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 38.6% | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 38.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 37.0% | -4.2% |
| 2023 | 36.9% | -0.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 36.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 24.8%, 1.5× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 36.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20.0%, 1.8× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50.3% | 49.7% | 50.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 52.5% | 49.7% | 55.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 55.0% | 53.6% | 57.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 50.2% | 47.5% | 52.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.7% | 43.2% | 46.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.4% | 39.3% | 43.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.8% | 36.9% | 38.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More agriculture & rural data for New Zealand
- 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)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.16 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.0% (2023)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land in New Zealand?
- Agricultural land in New Zealand was 36.9% in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest agricultural land recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 57.7% in 1981.
- What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.9% in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for agricultural land?
- New Zealand ranks 109th out of 210 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Agricultural land (% of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.