Surface area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand
New Zealand: Surface area (sq. km), per capita was 0.0506 sq. km per person in 2024. ▼ Falling
Surface area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand, 1961–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in sq. km per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for surface area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand is 0.0506 sq. km per person, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, surface area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand peaked at 0.1106 sq. km per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0506 sq. km per person, in 2024.
New Zealand ranks 34th of 216 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Surface area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | sq. km per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.1106 sq. km per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.1079 sq. km per person | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 0.1057 sq. km per person | -2.0% |
| 1964 | 0.1035 sq. km per person | -2.1% |
| 1965 | 0.1019 sq. km per person | -1.6% |
| 1966 | 0.1 sq. km per person | -1.8% |
| 1967 | 0.0983 sq. km per person | -1.8% |
| 1968 | 0.0974 sq. km per person | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 0.0965 sq. km per person | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 0.0952 sq. km per person | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 0.0938 sq. km per person | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 0.0922 sq. km per person | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 0.0904 sq. km per person | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 0.0885 sq. km per person | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 0.0868 sq. km per person | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 0.0861 sq. km per person | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 0.0858 sq. km per person | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 0.0858 sq. km per person | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.0861 sq. km per person | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 0.086 sq. km per person | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 0.0857 sq. km per person | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 0.0848 sq. km per person | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 0.0837 sq. km per person | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 0.083 sq. km per person | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 0.0824 sq. km per person | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 0.0825 sq. km per person | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.0818 sq. km per person | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 0.0815 sq. km per person | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 0.0811 sq. km per person | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 0.0804 sq. km per person | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 0.0766 sq. km per person | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 0.0758 sq. km per person | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 0.0749 sq. km per person | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 0.074 sq. km per person | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 0.0729 sq. km per person | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 0.0717 sq. km per person | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 0.0708 sq. km per person | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 0.0702 sq. km per person | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 0.0698 sq. km per person | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 0.0694 sq. km per person | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 0.069 sq. km per person | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.0678 sq. km per person | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 0.0665 sq. km per person | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0655 sq. km per person | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 0.0648 sq. km per person | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 0.064 sq. km per person | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 0.0634 sq. km per person | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.0628 sq. km per person | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 0.0622 sq. km per person | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.0615 sq. km per person | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 0.0611 sq. km per person | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 0.0607 sq. km per person | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 0.0603 sq. km per person | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 0.0593 sq. km per person | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 0.0581 sq. km per person | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 0.0568 sq. km per person | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 0.0556 sq. km per person | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 0.0546 sq. km per person | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 0.0539 sq. km per person | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 0.0528 sq. km per person | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0527 sq. km per person | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 0.0527 sq. km per person | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 0.0515 sq. km per person | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 0.0506 sq. km per person | -1.7% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 0.0506 sq. km per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0086 sq. km per person, 5.9× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 0.0506 sq. km per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0072 sq. km per person, 7.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1024 sq. km per person | 0.0965 sq. km per person | 0.1106 sq. km per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0891 sq. km per person | 0.0858 sq. km per person | 0.0952 sq. km per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0832 sq. km per person | 0.0811 sq. km per person | 0.086 sq. km per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0737 sq. km per person | 0.0698 sq. km per person | 0.0804 sq. km per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0655 sq. km per person | 0.0622 sq. km per person | 0.0694 sq. km per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0582 sq. km per person | 0.0539 sq. km per person | 0.0615 sq. km per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.052 sq. km per person | 0.0506 sq. km per person | 0.0528 sq. km per person | 5 |
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 surface area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand?
- Surface area (sq. km), per capita in New Zealand was 0.0506 sq. km per person in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest surface area (sq. km), per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1106 sq. km per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest surface area (sq. km), per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0506 sq. km per person in 2024.
- How does New Zealand rank for surface area (sq. km), per capita?
- New Zealand ranks 34th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is surface area (sq. km), per capita rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. 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 Surface area (sq. km), per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Surface 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.
Surface area (sq. km) ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Surface area FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: 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
Surface 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.