Insecticide use in New Zealand

New Zealand: Insecticide use was 303 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
303 tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
95th
of 211 countries
All-time high
481 tonnes
in 1992
All-time low
179 tonnes
in 1999
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Insecticide use in New Zealand, 1990–2023

01002003004005001990200620231990: 472 tonnes1991: 462 tonnes1992: 481 tonnes1993: 478 tonnes1994: 316 tonnes1995: 370 tonnes1996: 291 tonnes1997: 445 tonnes1998: 237 tonnes1999: 179 tonnes2000: 289 tonnes2001: 249 tonnes2002: 385 tonnes2003: 357 tonnes2004: 272 tonnes2005: 277 tonnes2006: 253 tonnes2007: 299 tonnes2008: 319 tonnes2009: 303 tonnes2010: 303 tonnes2011: 303 tonnes2012: 303 tonnes2013: 303 tonnes2014: 303 tonnes2015: 303 tonnes2016: 303 tonnes2017: 303 tonnes2018: 303 tonnes2019: 303 tonnes2020: 303 tonnes2021: 303 tonnes2022: 303 tonnes2023: 303 tonnes

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 92 Rwanda 317 tonnes compare
  2. 93 Dominican Republic 311 tonnes compare
  3. 94 Saudi Arabia 307 tonnes compare
  4. 96 Madagascar 291 tonnes compare
  5. 97 Yemen 290 tonnes compare
  6. 98 Georgia 288 tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

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

Indicator
Insecticide use
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 7,015 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.