Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in New Zealand
New Zealand: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 64.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in New Zealand, 1985–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in New Zealand is 64.9%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in New Zealand peaked at 66.3% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 44.0%, in 1985.
New Zealand ranks 83rd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 44.0% | — |
| 1986 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 44.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 65.9% | +49.8% |
| 2001 | 63.5% | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 61.7% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 60.2% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 59.1% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 58.2% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 57.5% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 58.6% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 59.6% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 60.7% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 61.7% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 62.4% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 63.1% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 63.9% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 64.7% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 65.5% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 66.3% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 66.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 65.7% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 65.6% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 64.8% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 64.9% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 64.9% | +0.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 64.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.8%, 2.3× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 64.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 66.8%, 97% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +49.8% | 44.0% | 65.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.0% | 44.0% | 44.0% | 5 |
| 1990s | 44.0% | 44.0% | 44.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.5% | 57.5% | 65.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.5% | 61.7% | 66.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.9% | 64.8% | 64.9% | 3 |
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 water as a share of total water withdrawals in New Zealand?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in New Zealand was 64.9% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 66.3% in 2016.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.0% in 1985.
- How does New Zealand rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- New Zealand ranks 83rd out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Agricultural water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry and domestic purposes). Agricultural water is defined as the annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture purposes.