Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in New Zealand
New Zealand: Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population was 121,170 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
121,170 hectares
Change on year
up 4.2%
World rank
133rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
266,842 hectares
in 1986
All-time low
110,699 hectares
in 2017
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population 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 hectares.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 121,170 hectares for change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in 2024.
That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in New Zealand peaked at 266,842 hectares in 1986 and was at its lowest, 110,699 hectares, in 2017.
New Zealand ranks 133rd of 186 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.
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 124,375 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 125,583 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 140,382 hectares | +11.8% |
| 1964 | 137,402 hectares | -2.1% |
| 1965 | 131,282 hectares | -4.5% |
| 1966 | 135,954 hectares | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 145,195 hectares | +6.8% |
| 1968 | 211,306 hectares | +45.5% |
| 1969 | 218,508 hectares | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 195,634 hectares | -10.5% |
| 1971 | 215,028 hectares | +9.9% |
| 1972 | 236,039 hectares | +9.8% |
| 1973 | 211,887 hectares | -10.2% |
| 1974 | 191,024 hectares | -9.8% |
| 1975 | 204,243 hectares | +6.9% |
| 1976 | 229,801 hectares | +12.5% |
| 1977 | 218,485 hectares | -4.9% |
| 1978 | 205,402 hectares | -6.0% |
| 1979 | 207,913 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 191,767 hectares | -7.8% |
| 1981 | 180,679 hectares | -5.8% |
| 1982 | 194,344 hectares | +7.6% |
| 1983 | 192,447 hectares | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 232,785 hectares | +21.0% |
| 1985 | 256,625 hectares | +10.2% |
| 1986 | 266,842 hectares | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 224,637 hectares | -15.8% |
| 1988 | 166,845 hectares | -25.7% |
| 1989 | 157,032 hectares | -5.9% |
| 1990 | 172,807 hectares | +10.0% |
| 1991 | 157,272 hectares | -9.0% |
| 1992 | 138,902 hectares | -11.7% |
| 1993 | 152,163 hectares | +9.5% |
| 1994 | 150,717 hectares | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 133,687 hectares | -11.3% |
| 1996 | 156,560 hectares | +17.1% |
| 1997 | 166,339 hectares | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 138,107 hectares | -17.0% |
| 1999 | 141,472 hectares | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 135,440 hectares | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 143,907 hectares | +6.3% |
| 2002 | 149,670 hectares | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 133,780 hectares | -10.6% |
| 2004 | 118,079 hectares | -11.7% |
| 2005 | 115,175 hectares | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 112,204 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 117,089 hectares | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 135,409 hectares | +15.6% |
| 2009 | 162,706 hectares | +20.2% |
| 2010 | 135,547 hectares | -16.7% |
| 2011 | 143,731 hectares | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 145,843 hectares | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 136,106 hectares | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 136,664 hectares | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 138,865 hectares | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 130,787 hectares | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 110,699 hectares | -15.4% |
| 2018 | 121,248 hectares | +9.5% |
| 2019 | 124,670 hectares | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 113,044 hectares | -9.3% |
| 2021 | 113,157 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 115,522 hectares | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 116,285 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 121,170 hectares | +4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 152,221 hectares | 124,375 hectares | 218,508 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 211,546 hectares | 191,024 hectares | 236,039 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 206,400 hectares | 157,032 hectares | 266,842 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 150,803 hectares | 133,687 hectares | 172,807 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 132,346 hectares | 112,204 hectares | 162,706 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 132,416 hectares | 110,699 hectares | 145,843 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 115,836 hectares | 113,044 hectares | 121,170 hectares | 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 change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in New Zealand?
- Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in New Zealand was 121,170 hectares 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 change in cereal production, yield, land use and population recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 266,842 hectares in 1986.
- What is the lowest change in cereal production, yield, land use and population recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 110,699 hectares in 2017.
- How does New Zealand rank for change in cereal production, yield, land use and population?
- New Zealand ranks 133rd out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is change in cereal production, yield, land use and population 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population. 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).
About this data
Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains.