Wheat production in New Zealand
New Zealand: Wheat production was 464,602 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
464,602 tonnes
Change on year
up 18.6%
World rank
64th
of 126 countries
All-time high
488,614 tonnes
in 2012
All-time low
134,994 tonnes
in 1989
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Wheat production in New Zealand, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for wheat production in New Zealand is 464,602 tonnes, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 18.6% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wheat production in New Zealand peaked at 488,614 tonnes in 2012 and was at its lowest, 134,994 tonnes, in 1989.
That places New Zealand 64th out of 126 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Wheat production in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 253,349 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 213,233 tonnes | -15.8% |
| 1963 | 249,188 tonnes | +16.9% |
| 1964 | 273,990 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1965 | 250,320 tonnes | -8.6% |
| 1966 | 291,778 tonnes | +16.6% |
| 1967 | 347,760 tonnes | +19.2% |
| 1968 | 442,334 tonnes | +27.2% |
| 1969 | 458,642 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 287,212 tonnes | -37.4% |
| 1971 | 325,646 tonnes | +13.4% |
| 1972 | 388,663 tonnes | +19.4% |
| 1973 | 376,111 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1974 | 214,582 tonnes | -42.9% |
| 1975 | 179,874 tonnes | -16.2% |
| 1976 | 388,178 tonnes | +115.8% |
| 1977 | 354,035 tonnes | -8.8% |
| 1978 | 328,756 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1979 | 295,028 tonnes | -10.3% |
| 1980 | 305,768 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1981 | 325,723 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1982 | 292,052 tonnes | -10.3% |
| 1983 | 300,825 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 314,556 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1985 | 309,591 tonnes | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 379,700 tonnes | +22.6% |
| 1987 | 336,823 tonnes | -11.3% |
| 1988 | 205,984 tonnes | -38.8% |
| 1989 | 134,994 tonnes | -34.5% |
| 1990 | 188,042 tonnes | +39.3% |
| 1991 | 180,690 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1992 | 191,039 tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1993 | 219,414 tonnes | +14.9% |
| 1994 | 241,853 tonnes | +10.2% |
| 1995 | 245,173 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 277,014 tonnes | +13.0% |
| 1997 | 317,000 tonnes | +14.4% |
| 1998 | 302,100 tonnes | -4.7% |
| 1999 | 320,000 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 326,000 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 364,000 tonnes | +11.7% |
| 2002 | 301,499 tonnes | -17.2% |
| 2003 | 318,916 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 255,860 tonnes | -19.8% |
| 2005 | 318,947 tonnes | +24.7% |
| 2006 | 261,798 tonnes | -17.9% |
| 2007 | 344,434 tonnes | +31.6% |
| 2008 | 343,350 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 403,463 tonnes | +17.5% |
| 2010 | 444,890 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2011 | 383,262 tonnes | -13.9% |
| 2012 | 488,614 tonnes | +27.5% |
| 2013 | 447,799 tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2014 | 413,497 tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2015 | 413,533 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 459,349 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 2017 | 405,182 tonnes | -11.8% |
| 2018 | 371,027 tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2019 | 398,092 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2020 | 453,749 tonnes | +14.0% |
| 2021 | 422,831 tonnes | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 402,557 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 391,615 tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 464,602 tonnes | +18.6% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 464,602 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.14 million tonnes, 41% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 464,602 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 243,666 tonnes, 1.9× the median. (10 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wheat production 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +115.8% | 179,874 tonnes | 388,178 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 308,955 tonnes | 213,233 tonnes | 458,642 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 313,808 tonnes | 179,874 tonnes | 388,663 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 290,602 tonnes | 134,994 tonnes | 379,700 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 248,232 tonnes | 180,690 tonnes | 320,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 323,827 tonnes | 255,860 tonnes | 403,463 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 422,524 tonnes | 371,027 tonnes | 488,614 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 427,071 tonnes | 391,615 tonnes | 464,602 tonnes | 5 |
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 wheat production in New Zealand?
- Wheat production in New Zealand was 464,602 tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wheat production recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 488,614 tonnes in 2012.
- What is the lowest wheat production recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 134,994 tonnes in 1989.
- How does New Zealand rank for wheat production?
- New Zealand ranks 64th out of 126 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wheat production rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. 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 Wheat production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Wheat production is measured in tonnes.