Projections for global peak agricultural land in New Zealand
New Zealand: Projections for global peak agricultural land was 9.71 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
9.71 million hectares
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
73rd
of 227 countries
All-time high
15.19 million hectares
in 1981
All-time low
9.71 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Projections for global peak agricultural land in New Zealand, 1961–2023
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 9.71 million hectares for projections for global peak agricultural land in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, projections for global peak agricultural land in New Zealand peaked at 15.19 million hectares in 1981 and was at its lowest, 9.71 million hectares, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 73rd of 227 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Projections for global peak agricultural land in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 13.16 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 13.25 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 13.29 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 13.32 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 13.25 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 13.23 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 13.25 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 13.25 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 13.09 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 13.09 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1971 | 13.09 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 13.49 million hectares | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 13.48 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 13.48 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 13.94 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 14.35 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 14.28 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 14.50 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 14.44 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 14.59 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 15.19 million hectares | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 14.62 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 14.59 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 14.47 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 14.39 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 14.39 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 14.27 million hectares | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 14.19 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 14.10 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 13.92 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 13.76 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 13.60 million hectares | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 13.44 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 13.29 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 13.13 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 12.97 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 12.81 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 12.65 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 12.50 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 12.34 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 12.18 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 12.02 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 11.86 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 11.89 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 11.71 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 11.38 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 11.49 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 11.37 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 11.49 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 11.41 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 11.37 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 11.21 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 11.11 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 11.12 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 10.71 million hectares | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 10.61 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 10.64 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 10.50 million hectares | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 10.35 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 10.15 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 10.18 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 9.75 million hectares | -4.2% |
| 2023 | 9.71 million hectares | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 13.23 million hectares | 13.09 million hectares | 13.32 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 13.81 million hectares | 13.09 million hectares | 14.50 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 14.48 million hectares | 14.10 million hectares | 15.19 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.21 million hectares | 12.50 million hectares | 13.92 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.77 million hectares | 11.37 million hectares | 12.34 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.90 million hectares | 10.35 million hectares | 11.41 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.95 million hectares | 9.71 million hectares | 10.18 million hectares | 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 projections for global peak agricultural land in New Zealand?
- Projections for global peak agricultural land in New Zealand was 9.71 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest projections for global peak agricultural land recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 15.19 million hectares in 1981.
- What is the lowest projections for global peak agricultural land recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.71 million hectares in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for projections for global peak agricultural land?
- New Zealand ranks 73rd out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is projections for global peak agricultural land rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. 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 Projections for global peak agricultural land. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Land used for cultivation of crops and animal husbandry. The total of areas under cropland and permanent meadows and pastures.