Cereals, primary — Area harvested in New Zealand
New Zealand: Cereals, primary — Area harvested was 121,170 ha in 2024. ▼ Falling
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in New Zealand, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, cereals, primary — area harvested in New Zealand stood at 121,170 ha.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — area harvested in New Zealand peaked at 266,842 ha in 1986 and was at its lowest, 110,699 ha, in 2017.
New Zealand ranks 128th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Cereals, primary — Area harvested in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 124,375 ha | — |
| 1962 | 125,583 ha | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 140,382 ha | +11.8% |
| 1964 | 137,402 ha | -2.1% |
| 1965 | 131,282 ha | -4.5% |
| 1966 | 135,954 ha | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 145,195 ha | +6.8% |
| 1968 | 211,306 ha | +45.5% |
| 1969 | 218,508 ha | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 195,634 ha | -10.5% |
| 1971 | 215,028 ha | +9.9% |
| 1972 | 236,039 ha | +9.8% |
| 1973 | 211,887 ha | -10.2% |
| 1974 | 191,024 ha | -9.8% |
| 1975 | 204,243 ha | +6.9% |
| 1976 | 229,801 ha | +12.5% |
| 1977 | 218,485 ha | -4.9% |
| 1978 | 205,402 ha | -6.0% |
| 1979 | 207,913 ha | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 191,767 ha | -7.8% |
| 1981 | 180,679 ha | -5.8% |
| 1982 | 194,344 ha | +7.6% |
| 1983 | 192,447 ha | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 232,785 ha | +21.0% |
| 1985 | 256,625 ha | +10.2% |
| 1986 | 266,842 ha | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 224,637 ha | -15.8% |
| 1988 | 166,845 ha | -25.7% |
| 1989 | 157,032 ha | -5.9% |
| 1990 | 172,807 ha | +10.0% |
| 1991 | 157,272 ha | -9.0% |
| 1992 | 138,902 ha | -11.7% |
| 1993 | 152,163 ha | +9.5% |
| 1994 | 150,717 ha | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 133,687 ha | -11.3% |
| 1996 | 156,560 ha | +17.1% |
| 1997 | 166,339 ha | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 138,107 ha | -17.0% |
| 1999 | 141,472 ha | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 135,440 ha | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 143,907 ha | +6.3% |
| 2002 | 149,670 ha | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 133,780 ha | -10.6% |
| 2004 | 118,079 ha | -11.7% |
| 2005 | 115,175 ha | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 112,204 ha | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 117,089 ha | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 135,409 ha | +15.6% |
| 2009 | 162,706 ha | +20.2% |
| 2010 | 135,547 ha | -16.7% |
| 2011 | 143,731 ha | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 145,843 ha | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 136,106 ha | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 136,664 ha | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 138,865 ha | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 130,787 ha | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 110,699 ha | -15.4% |
| 2018 | 121,248 ha | +9.5% |
| 2019 | 124,670 ha | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 113,044 ha | -9.3% |
| 2021 | 113,157 ha | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 115,522 ha | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 116,285 ha | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 121,170 ha | +4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 152,221 ha | 124,375 ha | 218,508 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 211,546 ha | 191,024 ha | 236,039 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 206,400 ha | 157,032 ha | 266,842 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 150,803 ha | 133,687 ha | 172,807 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 132,346 ha | 112,204 ha | 162,706 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 132,416 ha | 110,699 ha | 145,843 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 115,836 ha | 113,044 ha | 121,170 ha | 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)
- Agriculture share gdp 4.01 (2023)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 4.01 (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals, primary — area harvested in New Zealand?
- Cereals, primary — area harvested in New Zealand was 121,170 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 266,842 ha in 1986.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — area harvested recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 110,699 ha in 2017.
- How does New Zealand rank for cereals, primary — area harvested?
- New Zealand ranks 128th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereals, primary — area harvested rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cereals, primary — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed or silage or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.