Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in New Zealand
New Zealand: Agricultural land use, per square kilometre was 36.88 hectares per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
36.88 hectares per square kilometre
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
108th
of 209 countries
All-time high
57.68 hectares per square kilometre
in 1981
All-time low
36.88 hectares per square kilometre
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in New Zealand, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agricultural land use, per square kilometre in New Zealand is 36.88 hectares per square kilometre, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use, per square kilometre in New Zealand peaked at 57.68 hectares per square kilometre in 1981 and was at its lowest, 36.88 hectares per square kilometre, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 108th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | hectares per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 49.99 hectares per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 50.31 hectares per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 50.47 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 50.57 hectares per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 50.33 hectares per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 50.26 hectares per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 50.31 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 50.31 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 49.72 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 49.71 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1971 | 49.7 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 51.22 hectares per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 51.2 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 51.18 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 52.95 hectares per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 54.51 hectares per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 54.22 hectares per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 55.06 hectares per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 54.85 hectares per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 55.41 hectares per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 57.68 hectares per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 55.52 hectares per square kilometre | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 55.42 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 54.97 hectares per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 54.66 hectares per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 54.65 hectares per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 54.21 hectares per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 53.89 hectares per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 53.55 hectares per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 52.85 hectares per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 52.25 hectares per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 51.66 hectares per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 51.06 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 50.46 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 49.86 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 49.26 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 48.66 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 48.06 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 47.46 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 46.86 hectares per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 46.27 hectares per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 45.67 hectares per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 45.03 hectares per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 45.16 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 44.48 hectares per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 43.2 hectares per square kilometre | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 43.63 hectares per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 43.2 hectares per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 43.64 hectares per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 43.33 hectares per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 43.18 hectares per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 42.57 hectares per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 42.18 hectares per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 42.22 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 40.68 hectares per square kilometre | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 40.31 hectares per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 40.42 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 39.87 hectares per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 39.29 hectares per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 38.56 hectares per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 38.64 hectares per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 37.02 hectares per square kilometre | -4.2% |
| 2023 | 36.88 hectares per square kilometre | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50.25 hectares per square kilometre | 49.72 hectares per square kilometre | 50.57 hectares per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 52.46 hectares per square kilometre | 49.7 hectares per square kilometre | 55.06 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 55 hectares per square kilometre | 53.55 hectares per square kilometre | 57.68 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 50.16 hectares per square kilometre | 47.46 hectares per square kilometre | 52.85 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.71 hectares per square kilometre | 43.2 hectares per square kilometre | 46.86 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.4 hectares per square kilometre | 39.29 hectares per square kilometre | 43.33 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.78 hectares per square kilometre | 36.88 hectares per square kilometre | 38.64 hectares per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 105 Slovakia 37.96 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 106 Switzerland 37.79 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 107 Angola 36.95 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 109 Niger 36.79 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 110 Colombia 36.49 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 111 Bolivia 35.83 hectares per square kilometre compare
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 use, per square kilometre in New Zealand?
- Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in New Zealand was 36.88 hectares per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest agricultural land use, per square kilometre recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 57.68 hectares per square kilometre in 1981.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use, per square kilometre recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.88 hectares per square kilometre in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for agricultural land use, per square kilometre?
- New Zealand ranks 108th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use, per square kilometre 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 Statizoid (derived), published as part of Agricultural land use, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Agricultural land use divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Agricultural land use ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Agricultural land use Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Agricultural land use divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.