Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in New Zealand
New Zealand: Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel was 51,000 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in New Zealand, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in New Zealand is 51,000 tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.3% on the previous year and up 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in New Zealand peaked at 100,000 tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2,000 tonnes, in 1961.
That places New Zealand 71st out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 4,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1966 | 3,000 tonnes | -25.0% |
| 1967 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 5,000 tonnes | +66.7% |
| 1970 | 4,000 tonnes | -20.0% |
| 1971 | 4,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3,000 tonnes | -25.0% |
| 1973 | 4,000 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1974 | 3,000 tonnes | -25.0% |
| 1975 | 4,000 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1976 | 3,000 tonnes | -25.0% |
| 1977 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 5,000 tonnes | +66.7% |
| 1980 | 3,000 tonnes | -40.0% |
| 1981 | 4,000 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1982 | 5,000 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1983 | 9,000 tonnes | +80.0% |
| 1984 | 7,000 tonnes | -22.2% |
| 1985 | 7,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 9,000 tonnes | +28.6% |
| 1987 | 11,000 tonnes | +22.2% |
| 1988 | 12,000 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1989 | 10,000 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1990 | 11,000 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1991 | 9,000 tonnes | -18.2% |
| 1992 | 10,000 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1993 | 13,000 tonnes | +30.0% |
| 1994 | 11,000 tonnes | -15.4% |
| 1995 | 13,000 tonnes | +18.2% |
| 1996 | 10,000 tonnes | -23.1% |
| 1997 | 13,000 tonnes | +30.0% |
| 1998 | 20,000 tonnes | +53.8% |
| 1999 | 15,000 tonnes | -25.0% |
| 2000 | 48,000 tonnes | +220.0% |
| 2001 | 38,000 tonnes | -20.8% |
| 2002 | 43,000 tonnes | +13.2% |
| 2003 | 52,000 tonnes | +20.9% |
| 2004 | 31,000 tonnes | -40.4% |
| 2005 | 27,000 tonnes | -12.9% |
| 2006 | 29,000 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 2007 | 27,000 tonnes | -6.9% |
| 2008 | 32,000 tonnes | +18.5% |
| 2009 | 41,000 tonnes | +28.1% |
| 2010 | 54,000 tonnes | +31.7% |
| 2011 | 52,000 tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 47,000 tonnes | -9.6% |
| 2013 | 46,000 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 70,000 tonnes | +52.2% |
| 2015 | 87,000 tonnes | +24.3% |
| 2016 | 63,000 tonnes | -27.6% |
| 2017 | 50,000 tonnes | -20.6% |
| 2018 | 77,000 tonnes | +54.0% |
| 2019 | 100,000 tonnes | +29.9% |
| 2020 | 62,000 tonnes | -38.0% |
| 2021 | 69,000 tonnes | +11.3% |
| 2022 | 64,000 tonnes | -7.2% |
| 2023 | 51,000 tonnes | -20.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 51,000 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 46,000 tonnes, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 51,000 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10,000 tonnes, 5.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel 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 | +220.0% | 15,000 tonnes | 48,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,889 tonnes | 2,000 tonnes | 5,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 3,600 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 5,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 7,700 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 12,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 12,500 tonnes | 9,000 tonnes | 20,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 36,800 tonnes | 27,000 tonnes | 52,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 64,600 tonnes | 46,000 tonnes | 100,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 61,500 tonnes | 51,000 tonnes | 69,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 68 Suriname 57,000 tonnes compare
- 69 Finland 55,000 tonnes compare
- 70 Uruguay 53,000 tonnes compare
- 72 United Arab Emirates 50,000 tonnes compare
- 73 North Macedonia 44,000 tonnes compare
- 74 Uzbekistan 43,000 tonnes compare
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 cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in New Zealand?
- Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in New Zealand was 51,000 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 100,000 tonnes in 2019.
- What is the lowest cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,000 tonnes in 1961.
- How does New Zealand rank for cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel?
- New Zealand ranks 71st out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Quantity of cereal crops allocated to other uses (and not to human food or animal feed), predominantly industrial uses such as biofuel production.