Statizoid

Pesticide use in New Zealand

New Zealand: Pesticide use was 5,285 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5,285 tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
58th
of 211 countries
All-time high
6,056 tonnes
in 2008
All-time low
2,535 tonnes
in 1999
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Pesticide use in New Zealand, 1990–2023

02.0k4.0k6.0k1990200620231990: 3.7k tonnes1991: 3.7k tonnes1992: 3.7k tonnes1993: 3.7k tonnes1994: 3.5k tonnes1995: 3.9k tonnes1996: 3.5k tonnes1997: 3.5k tonnes1998: 3.1k tonnes1999: 2.5k tonnes2000: 3.6k tonnes2001: 3.3k tonnes2002: 4.4k tonnes2003: 4.1k tonnes2004: 4.2k tonnes2005: 4.3k tonnes2006: 4.6k tonnes2007: 5.1k tonnes2008: 6.1k tonnes2009: 5.3k tonnes2010: 5.3k tonnes2011: 5.3k tonnes2012: 5.3k tonnes2013: 5.3k tonnes2014: 5.3k tonnes2015: 5.3k tonnes2016: 5.3k tonnes2017: 5.3k tonnes2018: 5.3k tonnes2019: 5.3k tonnes2020: 5.3k tonnes2021: 5.3k tonnes2022: 5.3k tonnes2023: 5.3k tonnes

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 2023, pesticide use in New Zealand stood at 5,285 tonnes.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, pesticide use in New Zealand peaked at 6,056 tonnes in 2008 and was at its lowest, 2,535 tonnes, in 1999.

That places New Zealand 58th out of 211 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3,502 tonnes 2,535 tonnes 3,904 tonnes 10
2000s 4,500 tonnes 3,333 tonnes 6,056 tonnes 10
2010s 5,285 tonnes 5,285 tonnes 5,285 tonnes 10
2020s 5,285 tonnes 5,285 tonnes 5,285 tonnes 4

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 55 Israel 6,370 tonnes compare
  2. 56 Algeria 6,067 tonnes compare
  3. 57 Iran, Islamic Rep. 5,856 tonnes compare
  4. 59 Austria 5,251 tonnes compare
  5. 60 Kenya 5,162 tonnes compare
  6. 61 Mongolia 5,115 tonnes 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 pesticide use in New Zealand?
Pesticide use in New Zealand was 5,285 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest pesticide use recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 6,056 tonnes in 2008.
What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 2,535 tonnes in 1999.
How does New Zealand rank for pesticide use?
New Zealand ranks 58th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
Is pesticide use rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Pesticide use. 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
Pesticide use
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 7,015 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Total pesticide use measured in tonnes of pesticide consumption per year.