Arable land in New Zealand
New Zealand: Arable land was 520,000 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
520,000 hectares
Change on year
down 2.4%
World rank
123rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
616,000 hectares
in 2021
All-time low
367,500 hectares
in 1974
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable 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 hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arable land in New Zealand is 520,000 hectares, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in New Zealand peaked at 616,000 hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 367,500 hectares, in 1974.
New Zealand ranks 123rd of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 381,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 381,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 380,000 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 380,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 380,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 380,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 378,000 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 378,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 378,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 376,000 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 376,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 375,800 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 371,650 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 367,500 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 383,500 hectares | +4.4% |
| 1976 | 399,500 hectares | +4.2% |
| 1977 | 401,200 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 402,900 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 420,000 hectares | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 400,000 hectares | -4.8% |
| 1981 | 415,500 hectares | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 438,000 hectares | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 446,500 hectares | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 456,000 hectares | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 469,000 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 465,000 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 420,000 hectares | -9.7% |
| 1988 | 374,000 hectares | -11.0% |
| 1989 | 378,500 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 380,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 381,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 387,087 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 390,784 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 391,459 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 394,148 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 396,832 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 397,578 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 400,333 hectares | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 403,095 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 403,879 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 401,700 hectares | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 401,400 hectares | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 415,000 hectares | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 420,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 425,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 399,000 hectares | -6.1% |
| 2007 | 431,000 hectares | +8.0% |
| 2008 | 453,000 hectares | +5.1% |
| 2009 | 471,000 hectares | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 499,000 hectares | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 471,000 hectares | -5.6% |
| 2012 | 509,000 hectares | +8.1% |
| 2013 | 547,000 hectares | +7.5% |
| 2014 | 590,000 hectares | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 478,000 hectares | -19.0% |
| 2016 | 541,000 hectares | +13.2% |
| 2017 | 491,000 hectares | -9.2% |
| 2018 | 518,500 hectares | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 546,000 hectares | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 527,000 hectares | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 616,000 hectares | +16.9% |
| 2022 | 533,000 hectares | -13.5% |
| 2023 | 520,000 hectares | -2.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 520,000 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 178,890 hectares, 2.9× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 520,000 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 94,150 hectares, 5.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 379,556 hectares | 378,000 hectares | 381,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 387,405 hectares | 367,500 hectares | 420,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 426,250 hectares | 374,000 hectares | 469,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 392,232 hectares | 380,000 hectares | 403,095 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 422,098 hectares | 399,000 hectares | 471,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 519,050 hectares | 471,000 hectares | 590,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 549,000 hectares | 520,000 hectares | 616,000 hectares | 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 arable land in New Zealand?
- Arable land in New Zealand was 520,000 hectares 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 arable land recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 616,000 hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 367,500 hectares in 1974.
- How does New Zealand rank for arable land?
- New Zealand ranks 123rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Arable land (hectares). 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
Arable land (in hectares) 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.