Share of land defined as natural habitat in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of land defined as natural habitat was 58.03 in 2010. ▼ Falling
Share of land defined as natural habitat in New Zealand, 1780–2010
Source: Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 58.03 for share of land defined as natural habitat in 2010.
The figure is down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land defined as natural habitat in New Zealand peaked at 90.26 in 1780 and was at its lowest, 51.01, in 1960.
New Zealand ranks 85th of 168 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 90.26 | 90.26 | 90.26 | 1 |
| 1790s | 90.24 | 90.24 | 90.24 | 1 |
| 1800s | 90.22 | 90.22 | 90.22 | 1 |
| 1810s | 90.2 | 90.2 | 90.2 | 1 |
| 1820s | 90.05 | 90.05 | 90.05 | 1 |
| 1830s | 89.9 | 89.9 | 89.9 | 1 |
| 1840s | 89.71 | 89.71 | 89.71 | 1 |
| 1850s | 89.51 | 89.51 | 89.51 | 1 |
| 1860s | 89.32 | 89.32 | 89.32 | 1 |
| 1870s | 88.91 | 88.91 | 88.91 | 1 |
| 1880s | 88.42 | 88.42 | 88.42 | 1 |
| 1890s | 87.12 | 87.12 | 87.12 | 1 |
| 1900s | 84.83 | 84.83 | 84.83 | 1 |
| 1910s | 79.92 | 79.92 | 79.92 | 1 |
| 1920s | 69.01 | 69.01 | 69.01 | 1 |
| 1930s | 64.25 | 64.25 | 64.25 | 1 |
| 1940s | 58.79 | 58.79 | 58.79 | 1 |
| 1950s | 53.55 | 53.55 | 53.55 | 1 |
| 1960s | 51.01 | 51.01 | 51.01 | 1 |
| 1970s | 53.33 | 53.33 | 53.33 | 1 |
| 1980s | 54.33 | 54.33 | 54.33 | 1 |
| 1990s | 56.76 | 56.76 | 56.76 | 1 |
| 2000s | 58.37 | 58.37 | 58.37 | 1 |
| 2010s | 58.03 | 58.03 | 58.03 | 1 |
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 share of land defined as natural habitat in New Zealand?
- Share of land defined as natural habitat in New Zealand was 58.03 in 2010, according to Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land defined as natural habitat recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 90.26 in 1780.
- What is the lowest share of land defined as natural habitat recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.01 in 1960.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of land defined as natural habitat?
- New Zealand ranks 85th out of 168 countries with data for 2010.
- Is share of land defined as natural habitat rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land defined as natural habitat. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural ecosystems include forest, grassland, savanna, and shrublands, and other classes such as peatlands and marshes. It is total land minus land that is used by humans for agriculture – either croplands or pasture – or for infrastructure and urban environments.