Per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector in New Zealand

New Zealand: Per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 2,252 kilograms per person in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2,252 kilograms per person
Change on year
down 5.0%
World rank
4th
of 193 countries
All-time high
3,789 kilograms per person
in 1990
All-time low
2,252 kilograms per person
in 2023
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector in New Zealand, 1990–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1990200620231990: 3.8k kilograms per person1991: 3.6k kilograms per person1992: 3.5k kilograms per person1993: 3.5k kilograms per person1994: 3.5k kilograms per person1995: 3.6k kilograms per person1996: 3.4k kilograms per person1997: 3.3k kilograms per person1998: 3.2k kilograms per person1999: 3.3k kilograms per person2000: 3.3k kilograms per person2001: 3.3k kilograms per person2002: 3.3k kilograms per person2003: 3.3k kilograms per person2004: 3.3k kilograms per person2005: 3.2k kilograms per person2006: 3.2k kilograms per person2007: 3.1k kilograms per person2008: 3.0k kilograms per person2009: 2.9k kilograms per person2010: 2.9k kilograms per person2011: 2.9k kilograms per person2012: 2.9k kilograms per person2013: 2.9k kilograms per person2014: 2.9k kilograms per person2015: 2.8k kilograms per person2016: 2.7k kilograms per person2017: 2.7k kilograms per person2018: 2.6k kilograms per person2019: 2.6k kilograms per person2020: 2.5k kilograms per person2021: 2.5k kilograms per person2022: 2.4k kilograms per person2023: 2.3k kilograms per person

Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.

Analysis

In 2023, per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector in New Zealand stood at 2,252 kilograms per person. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.

The figure is down 5.0% on the previous year and down 21.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector in New Zealand peaked at 3,789 kilograms per person in 1990 and was at its lowest, 2,252 kilograms per person, in 2023.

That places New Zealand 4th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3,482 kilograms per person 3,240 kilograms per person 3,789 kilograms per person 10
2000s 3,175 kilograms per person 2,899 kilograms per person 3,306 kilograms per person 10
2010s 2,790 kilograms per person 2,567 kilograms per person 2,917 kilograms per person 10
2020s 2,403 kilograms per person 2,252 kilograms per person 2,519 kilograms per person 4

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 1 Mongolia 3,800 kilograms per person compare
  2. 2 Australia 3,376 kilograms per person compare
  3. 3 Botswana 2,613 kilograms per person compare
  4. 5 Uruguay 2,072 kilograms per person compare
  5. 6 South Sudan 1,554 kilograms per person compare
  6. 7 Belarus 1,486 kilograms per person compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector in New Zealand?
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector in New Zealand was 2,252 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 3,789 kilograms per person in 1990.
What is the lowest per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 2,252 kilograms per person in 2023.
How does New Zealand rank for per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
New Zealand ranks 4th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
Is per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector. 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
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions by sector
Unit
kilograms per person
Source
Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
193 places, 6,559 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Emissions are measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide-equivalents per person.