Forest area in New Zealand
New Zealand: Forest area was 99,503 sq. km in 2023. ▬ Flat
Forest area in New Zealand, 1990–2023
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
In 2023, forest area in New Zealand stood at 99,503 sq. km. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in New Zealand peaked at 99,503 sq. km in 2023 and was at its lowest, 93,723 sq. km, in 1990.
New Zealand ranks 53rd of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 95,874 sq. km | 93,723 sq. km | 98,026 sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 98,494 sq. km | 98,484 sq. km | 98,504 sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 98,502 sq. km | 98,466 sq. km | 98,655 sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 99,208 sq. km | 98,926 sq. km | 99,503 sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More agriculture & rural data for New Zealand
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2025)
- Rural population 16.0% (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Rural population 852,066 (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.0% (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 10.28 billion current US$ (2023)
- Land under cereal production 121,170 hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 9,102 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 1.10 million metric tons (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in New Zealand?
- Forest area in New Zealand was 99,503 sq. km in 2023, according to FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest forest area recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 99,503 sq. km in 2023.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 93,723 sq. km in 1990.
- How does New Zealand rank for forest area?
- New Zealand ranks 53rd out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is forest area rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Forest area (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.