Pesticide use in New Zealand
New Zealand: Pesticide use was 5,285 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Pesticide use in New Zealand, 1990–2023
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.
Pesticide use in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3,740 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 3,740 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3,740 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3,739 tonnes | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 3,515 tonnes | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 3,904 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1996 | 3,499 tonnes | -10.4% |
| 1997 | 3,550 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 3,055 tonnes | -13.9% |
| 1999 | 2,535 tonnes | -17.0% |
| 2000 | 3,634 tonnes | +43.4% |
| 2001 | 3,333 tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2002 | 4,369 tonnes | +31.1% |
| 2003 | 4,090 tonnes | -6.4% |
| 2004 | 4,249 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 4,257 tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 4,587 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 5,138 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 2008 | 6,056 tonnes | +17.9% |
| 2009 | 5,285 tonnes | -12.7% |
| 2010 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5,285 tonnes | +0.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 5,285 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,224 tonnes, 4.3× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 5,285 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 287 tonnes, 18.4× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Pesticide use in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +43.4% | 2,535 tonnes | 3,634 tonnes |
| 2002 | +31.1% | 3,333 tonnes | 4,369 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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 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
Total pesticide use measured in tonnes of pesticide consumption per year.