Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in New Zealand
New Zealand: Annual CO₂ emissions from coal was 5.87 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal in New Zealand, 1878–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 5.87 million tonnes for annual co₂ emissions from coal in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 51.8% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from coal in New Zealand peaked at 8.93 million tonnes in 2005 and was at its lowest, 355,408 tonnes, in 1878.
That places New Zealand 57th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 147 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 430,520 tonnes | 355,408 tonnes | 505,632 tonnes | 2 |
| 1880s | 1.04 million tonnes | 655,856 tonnes | 1.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 1.70 million tonnes | 1.42 million tonnes | 2.18 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 3.47 million tonnes | 2.44 million tonnes | 4.26 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | 4.69 million tonnes | 4.13 million tonnes | 5.08 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 4.07 million tonnes | 3.50 million tonnes | 4.80 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 4.08 million tonnes | 3.46 million tonnes | 4.77 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 5.23 million tonnes | 4.65 million tonnes | 5.50 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 5.73 million tonnes | 5.25 million tonnes | 6.14 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.78 million tonnes | 4.84 million tonnes | 6.60 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.91 million tonnes | 3.76 million tonnes | 5.58 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.13 million tonnes | 3.49 million tonnes | 4.95 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.70 million tonnes | 4.51 million tonnes | 4.95 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.02 million tonnes | 4.42 million tonnes | 8.93 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.49 million tonnes | 4.48 million tonnes | 6.87 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.11 million tonnes | 3.86 million tonnes | 6.19 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More climate change data for New Zealand
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Population, total 5.32 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Urban population 4.47 million (2025)
- Urban population 84.0% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 6.23 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 2.01 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 6.23 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 6.23 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from coal in New Zealand?
- Annual co₂ emissions from coal in New Zealand was 5.87 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual co₂ emissions from coal recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 8.93 million tonnes in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from coal recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 355,408 tonnes in 1878.
- How does New Zealand rank for annual co₂ emissions from coal?
- New Zealand ranks 57th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 147 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes.