Arable land in New Zealand
New Zealand: Arable land was 2.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arable land in New Zealand, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and website, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, arable land in New Zealand stood at 2.0%.
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 2.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1974.
That places New Zealand 169th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.4% | — |
| 1962 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.4% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1.4% | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.4% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.4% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | +4.4% |
| 1976 | 1.5% | +4.2% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 1.5% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 1.6% | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 1.5% | -4.8% |
| 1981 | 1.6% | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 1.7% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 1.6% | -9.7% |
| 1988 | 1.4% | -11.0% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 1.4% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 1.4% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 1.5% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 1.5% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 1.5% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 1.5% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 1.6% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | -6.1% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | +8.0% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | +5.1% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | -5.6% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +8.1% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | +7.5% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | -19.0% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | +13.2% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | -9.2% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | +16.9% |
| 2022 | 2.0% | -13.5% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2.3% | 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 2.0% in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and website, 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 2.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1974.
- How does New Zealand rank for arable land?
- New Zealand ranks 169th 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 website, 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 (% of land area). 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 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.