Wheat — Area harvested in New Zealand
New Zealand: Wheat — Area harvested was 46,395 ha in 2024. ▼ Falling
Wheat — Area harvested in New Zealand, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, wheat — area harvested in New Zealand stood at 46,395 ha.
The figure is up 14.5% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wheat — area harvested in New Zealand peaked at 129,737 ha in 1969 and was at its lowest, 37,527 ha, in 1991.
That places New Zealand 81st out of 124 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Wheat — Area harvested in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 75,589 ha | — |
| 1962 | 75,387 ha | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 91,356 ha | +21.2% |
| 1964 | 82,540 ha | -9.7% |
| 1965 | 74,460 ha | -9.8% |
| 1966 | 80,740 ha | +8.4% |
| 1967 | 93,304 ha | +15.6% |
| 1968 | 126,649 ha | +35.7% |
| 1969 | 129,737 ha | +2.4% |
| 1970 | 108,457 ha | -16.4% |
| 1971 | 97,528 ha | -10.1% |
| 1972 | 106,596 ha | +9.3% |
| 1973 | 107,700 ha | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 67,414 ha | -37.4% |
| 1975 | 57,656 ha | -14.5% |
| 1976 | 103,742 ha | +79.9% |
| 1977 | 96,236 ha | -7.2% |
| 1978 | 90,982 ha | -5.5% |
| 1979 | 87,156 ha | -4.2% |
| 1980 | 85,952 ha | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 81,243 ha | -5.5% |
| 1982 | 71,506 ha | -12.0% |
| 1983 | 70,897 ha | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 68,680 ha | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 71,843 ha | +4.6% |
| 1986 | 91,353 ha | +27.2% |
| 1987 | 82,963 ha | -9.2% |
| 1988 | 50,609 ha | -39.0% |
| 1989 | 37,836 ha | -25.2% |
| 1990 | 38,500 ha | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 37,527 ha | -2.5% |
| 1992 | 37,797 ha | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 40,861 ha | +8.1% |
| 1994 | 44,668 ha | +9.3% |
| 1995 | 52,362 ha | +17.2% |
| 1996 | 50,607 ha | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 56,000 ha | +10.7% |
| 1998 | 48,600 ha | -13.2% |
| 1999 | 52,797 ha | +8.6% |
| 2000 | 52,500 ha | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 49,000 ha | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 42,187 ha | -13.9% |
| 2003 | 42,600 ha | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 39,062 ha | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 39,415 ha | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 37,962 ha | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 40,538 ha | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 42,326 ha | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 53,854 ha | +27.2% |
| 2010 | 54,762 ha | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 52,604 ha | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 54,750 ha | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 49,180 ha | -10.2% |
| 2014 | 47,932 ha | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 47,685 ha | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 49,945 ha | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 41,075 ha | -17.8% |
| 2018 | 41,411 ha | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 44,971 ha | +8.6% |
| 2020 | 45,680 ha | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 43,536 ha | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 42,871 ha | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 40,506 ha | -5.5% |
| 2024 | 46,395 ha | +14.5% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 46,395 ha is below the median for high income countries, which is 214,750 ha, 22% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 46,395 ha is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 143,400 ha, 32% of the median. (8 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wheat — Area harvested in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +79.9% | 57,656 ha | 103,742 ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 92,196 ha | 74,460 ha | 129,737 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 92,347 ha | 57,656 ha | 108,457 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 71,288 ha | 37,836 ha | 91,353 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 45,972 ha | 37,527 ha | 56,000 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 43,944 ha | 37,962 ha | 53,854 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 48,432 ha | 41,075 ha | 54,762 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 43,798 ha | 40,506 ha | 46,395 ha | 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 wheat — area harvested in New Zealand?
- Wheat — area harvested in New Zealand was 46,395 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest wheat — area harvested recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 129,737 ha in 1969.
- What is the lowest wheat — area harvested recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 37,527 ha in 1991.
- How does New Zealand rank for wheat — area harvested?
- New Zealand ranks 81st out of 124 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wheat — area harvested rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. 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, published as part of Wheat — Area harvested. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed or silage or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.