Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in New Zealand
New Zealand: Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture was 64.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in New Zealand, 1985–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
In 2022, annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in New Zealand stood at 64.9%.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in New Zealand peaked at 66.3% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 44.0%, in 1985.
That places New Zealand 83rd out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture 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 Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture 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 annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in New Zealand?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in New Zealand was 64.9% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 66.3% in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.0% in 1985.
- How does New Zealand rank for annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture?
- New Zealand ranks 83rd out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture 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, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture (% of total freshwater withdrawal). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual freshwater withdrawals refer to total water withdrawals, not counting evaporation losses from storage basins. Withdrawals also include water from desalination plants in countries where they are a significant source. Withdrawals can exceed 100 percent of total renewable resources where extraction from nonrenewable aquifers or desalination plants is considerable or where there is significant water reuse. Withdrawals for agriculture are total withdrawals for irrigation and livestock production. Data are for the most recent year available for 1987-2002.