Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in New Zealand
New Zealand: Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture was 2,252 kilograms per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in New Zealand, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 2,252 kilograms per person for per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.0% on the previous year and down 21.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in New Zealand peaked at 3,789 kilograms per person in 1990 and was at its lowest, 2,252 kilograms per person, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 4th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | kilograms per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3,789 kilograms per person | — |
| 1991 | 3,634 kilograms per person | -4.1% |
| 1992 | 3,536 kilograms per person | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 3,467 kilograms per person | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 3,527 kilograms per person | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 3,568 kilograms per person | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 3,408 kilograms per person | -4.5% |
| 1997 | 3,347 kilograms per person | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 3,240 kilograms per person | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 3,309 kilograms per person | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 3,266 kilograms per person | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 3,271 kilograms per person | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 3,288 kilograms per person | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 3,306 kilograms per person | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 3,259 kilograms per person | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 3,233 kilograms per person | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 3,156 kilograms per person | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 3,092 kilograms per person | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 2,975 kilograms per person | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 2,899 kilograms per person | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 2,916 kilograms per person | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 2,911 kilograms per person | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 2,917 kilograms per person | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 2,885 kilograms per person | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 2,887 kilograms per person | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 2,794 kilograms per person | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 2,719 kilograms per person | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 2,670 kilograms per person | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 2,628 kilograms per person | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 2,567 kilograms per person | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 2,519 kilograms per person | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 2,471 kilograms per person | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 2,370 kilograms per person | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 2,252 kilograms per person | -5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3,482 kilograms per person | 3,240 kilograms per person | 3,789 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,175 kilograms per person | 2,899 kilograms per person | 3,306 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,790 kilograms per person | 2,567 kilograms per person | 2,917 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,403 kilograms per person | 2,252 kilograms per person | 2,519 kilograms per person | 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 per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in New Zealand?
- Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture in New Zealand was 2,252 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 3,789 kilograms per person in 1990.
- What is the lowest per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,252 kilograms per person in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture?
- New Zealand ranks 4th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide-equivalents per person.