Insecticide use in New Zealand
New Zealand: Insecticide use was 303 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Insecticide use in New Zealand, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, insecticide use in New Zealand stood at 303 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in New Zealand peaked at 481 tonnes in 1992 and was at its lowest, 179 tonnes, in 1999.
New Zealand ranks 95th of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 472 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 462 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 481 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 478 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 316 tonnes | -33.9% |
| 1995 | 370 tonnes | +17.1% |
| 1996 | 291 tonnes | -21.4% |
| 1997 | 445 tonnes | +52.9% |
| 1998 | 237 tonnes | -46.7% |
| 1999 | 179 tonnes | -24.5% |
| 2000 | 289 tonnes | +61.5% |
| 2001 | 249 tonnes | -13.8% |
| 2002 | 385 tonnes | +54.6% |
| 2003 | 357 tonnes | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 272 tonnes | -23.8% |
| 2005 | 277 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 253 tonnes | -8.7% |
| 2007 | 299 tonnes | +18.2% |
| 2008 | 319 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 303 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 303 tonnes | +0.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 303 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 90 tonnes, 3.4× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 303 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22 tonnes, 13.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insecticide use 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +61.5% | 179 tonnes | 289 tonnes |
| 2002 | +54.6% | 249 tonnes | 385 tonnes |
| 1997 | +52.9% | 291 tonnes | 445 tonnes |
| 1998 | -46.7% | 445 tonnes | 237 tonnes |
| 1994 | -33.9% | 478 tonnes | 316 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 373.1 tonnes | 179 tonnes | 481 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 300.3 tonnes | 249 tonnes | 385 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 303 tonnes | 303 tonnes | 303 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 303 tonnes | 303 tonnes | 303 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 92 Rwanda 317 tonnes compare
- 93 Dominican Republic 311 tonnes compare
- 94 Saudi Arabia 307 tonnes compare
- 96 Madagascar 291 tonnes compare
- 97 Yemen 290 tonnes compare
- 98 Georgia 288 tonnes compare
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in New Zealand?
- Insecticide use in New Zealand was 303 tonnes 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 insecticide use recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 481 tonnes in 1992.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 179 tonnes in 1999.
- How does New Zealand rank for insecticide use?
- New Zealand ranks 95th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 Insecticide use. 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
Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.