Beef production in New Zealand
New Zealand: Beef production was 741,844 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
741,844 tonnes
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
20th
of 198 countries
All-time high
754,463 tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
236,500 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Beef production in New Zealand, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, beef production in New Zealand stood at 741,844 tonnes.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, beef production in New Zealand peaked at 754,463 tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 236,500 tonnes, in 1961.
That places New Zealand 20th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Beef production in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 236,500 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 281,800 tonnes | +19.2% |
| 1963 | 293,100 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1964 | 287,000 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1965 | 271,400 tonnes | -5.4% |
| 1966 | 287,300 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1967 | 297,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1968 | 339,400 tonnes | +14.3% |
| 1969 | 370,500 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1970 | 386,500 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1971 | 393,200 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 409,900 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1973 | 445,500 tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1974 | 404,700 tonnes | -9.2% |
| 1975 | 508,100 tonnes | +25.5% |
| 1976 | 628,100 tonnes | +23.6% |
| 1977 | 557,700 tonnes | -11.2% |
| 1978 | 561,500 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 511,600 tonnes | -8.9% |
| 1980 | 496,000 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1981 | 498,100 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 516,000 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 512,100 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 433,400 tonnes | -15.4% |
| 1985 | 486,700 tonnes | +12.3% |
| 1986 | 467,600 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1987 | 554,504 tonnes | +18.6% |
| 1988 | 571,626 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 556,000 tonnes | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 478,643 tonnes | -13.9% |
| 1991 | 525,197 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1992 | 549,647 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 544,323 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 565,715 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 597,603 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 649,271 tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1997 | 632,594 tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 651,217 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 554,201 tonnes | -14.9% |
| 2000 | 587,457 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 590,911 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 574,304 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 632,120 tonnes | +10.1% |
| 2004 | 710,348 tonnes | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 663,435 tonnes | -6.6% |
| 2006 | 639,975 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 631,690 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 631,020 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 637,664 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 638,013 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 618,211 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 607,044 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 627,174 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 625,675 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 675,844 tonnes | +8.0% |
| 2016 | 673,070 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 641,745 tonnes | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 672,352 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 712,784 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2020 | 726,537 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 754,463 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 720,576 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2023 | 744,249 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2024 | 741,844 tonnes | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 296,000 tonnes | 236,500 tonnes | 370,500 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 480,680 tonnes | 386,500 tonnes | 628,100 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 509,203 tonnes | 433,400 tonnes | 571,626 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 574,841 tonnes | 478,643 tonnes | 651,217 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 629,892 tonnes | 574,304 tonnes | 710,348 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 649,191 tonnes | 607,044 tonnes | 712,784 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 737,534 tonnes | 720,576 tonnes | 754,463 tonnes | 5 |
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 beef production in New Zealand?
- Beef production in New Zealand was 741,844 tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest beef production recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 754,463 tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest beef production recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 236,500 tonnes in 1961.
- How does New Zealand rank for beef production?
- New Zealand ranks 20th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is beef production rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.6%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Beef production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).