Forest area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand
New Zealand: Forest area (sq. km), per capita was 0.0191 sq. km per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Forest area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand, 1990–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in sq. km per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand is 0.0191 sq. km per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand peaked at 0.0281 sq. km per person in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.0191 sq. km per person, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 27th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Forest area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | sq. km per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0281 sq. km per person | — |
| 1991 | 0.027 sq. km per person | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 0.0268 sq. km per person | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 0.0266 sq. km per person | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 0.0264 sq. km per person | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 0.0262 sq. km per person | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 0.0259 sq. km per person | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 0.0257 sq. km per person | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 0.0256 sq. km per person | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 0.0256 sq. km per person | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.0255 sq. km per person | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 0.0254 sq. km per person | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.0249 sq. km per person | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 0.0245 sq. km per person | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0241 sq. km per person | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 0.0238 sq. km per person | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 0.0235 sq. km per person | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 0.0233 sq. km per person | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.0231 sq. km per person | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 0.0229 sq. km per person | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.0226 sq. km per person | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 0.0225 sq. km per person | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 0.0223 sq. km per person | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 0.0222 sq. km per person | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 0.0218 sq. km per person | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 0.0214 sq. km per person | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 0.0209 sq. km per person | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 0.0205 sq. km per person | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0201 sq. km per person | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.0198 sq. km per person | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 0.0195 sq. km per person | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 0.0195 sq. km per person | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 0.0195 sq. km per person | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 0.0191 sq. km per person | -2.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 0.0191 sq. km per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0019 sq. km per person, 9.9× the median. (83 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 0.0191 sq. km per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0051 sq. km per person, 3.7× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.0264 sq. km per person | 0.0256 sq. km per person | 0.0281 sq. km per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0241 sq. km per person | 0.0229 sq. km per person | 0.0255 sq. km per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0214 sq. km per person | 0.0198 sq. km per person | 0.0226 sq. km per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0194 sq. km per person | 0.0191 sq. km per person | 0.0195 sq. km per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More agriculture & rural data for New Zealand
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 1.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1262 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -1.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.76 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand?
- Forest area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand was 0.0191 sq. km per person in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest forest area (sq. km), per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0281 sq. km per person in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area (sq. km), per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0191 sq. km per person in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for forest area (sq. km), per capita?
- New Zealand ranks 27th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area (sq. km), per capita rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Forest area (sq. km), per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Forest area (sq. km) divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Forest area (sq. km) ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Forest area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Forest area (sq. km) divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.