Annual precipitation in New Zealand
New Zealand: Annual precipitation was 1,631 millimeters in 2025. ▲ Rising
Annual precipitation in New Zealand, 1940–2025
Source: Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in millimeters.
Analysis
In 2025, annual precipitation in New Zealand stood at 1,631 millimeters.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.4% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual precipitation in New Zealand peaked at 1,754 millimeters in 1995 and was at its lowest, 1,263 millimeters, in 1947.
New Zealand ranks 43rd of 192 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 86 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1,443 millimeters | 1,263 millimeters | 1,744 millimeters | 10 |
| 1950s | 1,517 millimeters | 1,323 millimeters | 1,739 millimeters | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,516 millimeters | 1,342 millimeters | 1,692 millimeters | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,533 millimeters | 1,443 millimeters | 1,738 millimeters | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,590 millimeters | 1,478 millimeters | 1,725 millimeters | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,556 millimeters | 1,433 millimeters | 1,754 millimeters | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,495 millimeters | 1,320 millimeters | 1,729 millimeters | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,570 millimeters | 1,438 millimeters | 1,706 millimeters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,579 millimeters | 1,402 millimeters | 1,698 millimeters | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2008 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.76 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0464 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5251 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.5536 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 144.86 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual precipitation in New Zealand?
- Annual precipitation in New Zealand was 1,631 millimeters in 2025, according to Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual precipitation recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1,754 millimeters in 1995.
- What is the lowest annual precipitation recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,263 millimeters in 1947.
- How does New Zealand rank for annual precipitation?
- New Zealand ranks 43rd out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual precipitation rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual precipitation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 86 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual precipitation—rain and snow—calculated as the sum of daily averages, reported as the depth of water falling to Earth's surface, excluding fog and dew.