Forest area in New Zealand
New Zealand: Forest area was 37.8% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Forest area in New Zealand, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 37.8% for forest area in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in New Zealand peaked at 37.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 35.6%, in 1990.
New Zealand ranks 81st of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Forest area in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 35.6% | — |
| 1991 | 35.8% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 36.0% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 36.1% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 36.3% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 36.5% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 36.7% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 36.9% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 37.0% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 37.2% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 37.4% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 37.4% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 37.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 37.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 37.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 37.5% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 37.6% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 37.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 37.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 37.8% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.4% | 35.6% | 37.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.4% | 37.4% | 37.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.4% | 37.4% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.7% | 37.6% | 37.8% | 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 forest area in New Zealand?
- Forest area in New Zealand was 37.8% in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 37.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.6% in 1990.
- How does New Zealand rank for forest area?
- New Zealand ranks 81st out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Forest area (% of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forest area (% of land area) is the share of total land area that is under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.