Land area in hectares, per capita in New Zealand
New Zealand: Land area in hectares, per capita was 5.06 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Land area in hectares, per capita in New Zealand, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land area in hectares, per capita in New Zealand is 5.06 hectares per person, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land area in hectares, per capita in New Zealand peaked at 10.88 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 5.06 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places New Zealand 32nd out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land area in hectares, per capita in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 10.88 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 10.61 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 10.4 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 1964 | 10.18 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1965 | 10.02 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1966 | 9.84 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1967 | 9.67 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1968 | 9.58 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 9.5 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 9.37 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 9.23 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 9.07 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 8.89 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 8.71 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 8.54 hectares per person | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 8.47 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 8.44 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 8.44 hectares per person | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 8.47 hectares per person | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 8.46 hectares per person | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 8.43 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 8.34 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 8.23 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 8.16 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 8.11 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 8.11 hectares per person | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 8.04 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 8.02 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 7.98 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 7.91 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 7.53 hectares per person | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 7.46 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 7.37 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 7.27 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 7.17 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 7.06 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 6.96 hectares per person | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 6.9 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 6.87 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 6.83 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 6.79 hectares per person | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 6.67 hectares per person | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 6.54 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 6.44 hectares per person | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 6.37 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 6.29 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 6.23 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 6.18 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 6.12 hectares per person | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 6.05 hectares per person | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 6.01 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 5.97 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 5.93 hectares per person | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 5.83 hectares per person | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 5.71 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 5.59 hectares per person | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 5.47 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 5.37 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 5.3 hectares per person | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 5.19 hectares per person | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 5.18 hectares per person | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 5.18 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 5.06 hectares per person | -2.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 5.06 hectares per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.687 hectares per person, 7.4× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 5.06 hectares per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7125 hectares per person, 7.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.08 hectares per person | 9.5 hectares per person | 10.88 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.76 hectares per person | 8.44 hectares per person | 9.37 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.19 hectares per person | 7.98 hectares per person | 8.46 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.25 hectares per person | 6.87 hectares per person | 7.91 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.45 hectares per person | 6.12 hectares per person | 6.83 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.72 hectares per person | 5.3 hectares per person | 6.05 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.15 hectares per person | 5.06 hectares per person | 5.19 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
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 land area in hectares, per capita in New Zealand?
- Land area in hectares, per capita in New Zealand was 5.06 hectares per person in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest land area in hectares, per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 10.88 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest land area in hectares, per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.06 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for land area in hectares, per capita?
- New Zealand ranks 32nd out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land area in hectares, 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 Land area in hectares, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Land area in hectares divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Land area in hectares ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Land area in hectares Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- 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
Land area in hectares divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.