Total natural resource rents in New Zealand

New Zealand: Total natural resource rents was 1.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
1.5%
Change on year
up 17.4%
World rank
108th
of 211 countries
All-time high
2.8%
in 1985
All-time low
0.8%
in 1972
Years of data
51
1971–2021

Total natural resource rents in New Zealand, 1971–2021

11.522.53197119962021

Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

New Zealand recorded 1.5% for total natural resource rents in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.4% on the previous year and down 31.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in New Zealand peaked at 2.8% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1972.

That places New Zealand 108th out of 211 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.8% 0.8% 2.7% 9
1980s 2.1% 1.2% 2.8% 10
1990s 1.8% 1.4% 2.2% 10
2000s 1.7% 1.1% 2.4% 10
2010s 1.6% 1.0% 2.2% 10
2020s 1.4% 1.3% 1.5% 2

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 105 Estonia 1.7% compare
  2. 106 China 1.7% compare
  3. 107 Comoros 1.6% compare
  4. 109 Albania 1.4% compare
  5. 110 Pakistan 1.4% compare
  6. 111 Georgia 1.4% 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 total natural resource rents in New Zealand?
Total natural resource rents in New Zealand was 1.5% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 1985.
What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1972.
How does New Zealand rank for total natural resource rents?
New Zealand ranks 108th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Total natural resource rents
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 9,209 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.