Oil consumption per person in New Zealand
New Zealand: Oil consumption per person was 17,111 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
17,111 kilowatt-hours per person
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
55th
of 219 countries
All-time high
20,662 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2005
All-time low
11,794 kilowatt-hours per person
in 1986
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Oil consumption per person in New Zealand, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 17,111 kilowatt-hours per person for oil consumption per person in 2025.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil consumption per person in New Zealand peaked at 20,662 kilowatt-hours per person in 2005 and was at its lowest, 11,794 kilowatt-hours per person, in 1986.
New Zealand ranks 55th of 219 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Oil consumption per person in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 12,379 kilowatt-hours per person | — |
| 1966 | 13,470 kilowatt-hours per person | +8.8% |
| 1967 | 13,935 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 14,157 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 14,547 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 16,870 kilowatt-hours per person | +16.0% |
| 1971 | 17,152 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 18,136 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.7% |
| 1973 | 18,786 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.6% |
| 1974 | 17,411 kilowatt-hours per person | -7.3% |
| 1975 | 16,557 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.9% |
| 1976 | 16,856 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 16,791 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 16,156 kilowatt-hours per person | -3.8% |
| 1979 | 16,278 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 15,528 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.6% |
| 1981 | 14,708 kilowatt-hours per person | -5.3% |
| 1982 | 14,581 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 13,819 kilowatt-hours per person | -5.2% |
| 1984 | 14,124 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 13,158 kilowatt-hours per person | -6.8% |
| 1986 | 11,794 kilowatt-hours per person | -10.4% |
| 1987 | 13,583 kilowatt-hours per person | +15.2% |
| 1988 | 13,214 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.7% |
| 1989 | 13,566 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 14,962 kilowatt-hours per person | +10.3% |
| 1991 | 14,853 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 15,101 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 14,841 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 16,933 kilowatt-hours per person | +14.1% |
| 1995 | 18,044 kilowatt-hours per person | +6.6% |
| 1996 | 18,112 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 18,784 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 18,854 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 18,999 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 19,293 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 19,334 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 19,610 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 20,434 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 19,842 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 20,662 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 20,514 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 20,405 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 20,467 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 19,381 kilowatt-hours per person | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 19,335 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 19,644 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 19,270 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 19,311 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 19,393 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 19,794 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 20,053 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 20,586 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 20,270 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 20,397 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 16,595 kilowatt-hours per person | -18.6% |
| 2021 | 16,422 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 16,172 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 17,161 kilowatt-hours per person | +6.1% |
| 2024 | 17,270 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 17,111 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.9% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 17,111 kilowatt-hours per person is below the median for high income countries, which is 19,548 kilowatt-hours per person, 88% of the median. (76 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 17,111 kilowatt-hours per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8,326 kilowatt-hours per person, 2.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 13,698 kilowatt-hours per person | 12,379 kilowatt-hours per person | 14,547 kilowatt-hours per person | 5 |
| 1970s | 17,099 kilowatt-hours per person | 16,156 kilowatt-hours per person | 18,786 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 13,808 kilowatt-hours per person | 11,794 kilowatt-hours per person | 15,528 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 16,948 kilowatt-hours per person | 14,841 kilowatt-hours per person | 18,999 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 19,994 kilowatt-hours per person | 19,293 kilowatt-hours per person | 20,662 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 19,805 kilowatt-hours per person | 19,270 kilowatt-hours per person | 20,586 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,788 kilowatt-hours per person | 16,172 kilowatt-hours per person | 17,270 kilowatt-hours per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 52 Greece 17,713 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 53 Libya 17,659 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 54 Puerto Rico 17,253 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 56 Finland 16,145 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 57 Ireland 15,837 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 58 Spain 15,393 kilowatt-hours per person compare
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 oil consumption per person in New Zealand?
- Oil consumption per person in New Zealand was 17,111 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest oil consumption per person recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 20,662 kilowatt-hours per person in 2005.
- What is the lowest oil consumption per person recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,794 kilowatt-hours per person in 1986.
- How does New Zealand rank for oil consumption per person?
- New Zealand ranks 55th out of 219 countries with data for 2025.
- Is oil consumption per person rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Oil consumption per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours per person. Includes refined petroleum products and other liquid fuels.