Agricultural water withdrawals in New Zealand
New Zealand: Agricultural water withdrawals was 3.21 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.21 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
63rd
of 180 countries
All-time high
3.21 billion cubic meters
in 2010
All-time low
836.00 million cubic meters
in 1985
Years of data
39
1985–2023
Agricultural water withdrawals in New Zealand, 1985–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 3.21 billion cubic meters for agricultural water withdrawals in 2023. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water withdrawals in New Zealand peaked at 3.21 billion cubic meters in 2010 and was at its lowest, 836.00 million cubic meters, in 1985.
That places New Zealand 63rd out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Agricultural water withdrawals in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 836.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1986 | 874.97 million cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 913.94 million cubic meters | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 952.91 million cubic meters | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 991.89 million cubic meters | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 1.03 billion cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 1.07 billion cubic meters | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 1.11 billion cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 1.19 billion cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 1.23 billion cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 1.26 billion cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 1.30 billion cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 1.34 billion cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 1.38 billion cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 1.59 billion cubic meters | +14.9% |
| 2001 | 1.79 billion cubic meters | +12.9% |
| 2002 | 2.00 billion cubic meters | +11.5% |
| 2003 | 2.20 billion cubic meters | +10.3% |
| 2004 | 2.41 billion cubic meters | +9.3% |
| 2005 | 2.61 billion cubic meters | +8.5% |
| 2006 | 2.82 billion cubic meters | +7.9% |
| 2007 | 2.92 billion cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 3.01 billion cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 3.11 billion cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 913.94 million cubic meters | 836.00 million cubic meters | 991.89 million cubic meters | 5 |
| 1990s | 1.21 billion cubic meters | 1.03 billion cubic meters | 1.38 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.45 billion cubic meters | 1.59 billion cubic meters | 3.11 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.21 billion cubic meters | 3.21 billion cubic meters | 3.21 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.21 billion cubic meters | 3.21 billion cubic meters | 3.21 billion cubic meters | 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 water withdrawals in New Zealand?
- Agricultural water withdrawals in New Zealand was 3.21 billion cubic meters in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural water withdrawals recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 3.21 billion cubic meters in 2010.
- What is the lowest agricultural water withdrawals recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 836.00 million cubic meters in 1985.
- How does New Zealand rank for agricultural water withdrawals?
- New Zealand ranks 63rd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural water withdrawals rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year for irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture.