Annual precipitation in New Zealand
New Zealand: Annual precipitation was 1,631 millimeters in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1,631 millimeters
Change on year
up 9.4%
World rank
43rd
of 192 countries
All-time high
1,754 millimeters
in 1995
All-time low
1,263 millimeters
in 1947
Years of data
86
1940–2025
Annual precipitation in New Zealand, 1940–2025
Source: Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in millimeters.
Analysis
In 2025, annual precipitation in New Zealand stood at 1,631 millimeters.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.4% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual precipitation in New Zealand peaked at 1,754 millimeters in 1995 and was at its lowest, 1,263 millimeters, in 1947.
New Zealand ranks 43rd of 192 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 86 years of available data.
Annual precipitation in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | millimeters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 1,310 millimeters | — |
| 1941 | 1,268 millimeters | -3.2% |
| 1942 | 1,514 millimeters | +19.4% |
| 1943 | 1,465 millimeters | -3.2% |
| 1944 | 1,335 millimeters | -8.9% |
| 1945 | 1,744 millimeters | +30.6% |
| 1946 | 1,403 millimeters | -19.6% |
| 1947 | 1,263 millimeters | -9.9% |
| 1948 | 1,486 millimeters | +17.7% |
| 1949 | 1,642 millimeters | +10.5% |
| 1950 | 1,323 millimeters | -19.4% |
| 1951 | 1,362 millimeters | +3.0% |
| 1952 | 1,451 millimeters | +6.5% |
| 1953 | 1,571 millimeters | +8.3% |
| 1954 | 1,487 millimeters | -5.3% |
| 1955 | 1,659 millimeters | +11.6% |
| 1956 | 1,739 millimeters | +4.8% |
| 1957 | 1,591 millimeters | -8.5% |
| 1958 | 1,608 millimeters | +1.1% |
| 1959 | 1,383 millimeters | -14.0% |
| 1960 | 1,558 millimeters | +12.6% |
| 1961 | 1,354 millimeters | -13.1% |
| 1962 | 1,618 millimeters | +19.5% |
| 1963 | 1,342 millimeters | -17.0% |
| 1964 | 1,628 millimeters | +21.3% |
| 1965 | 1,506 millimeters | -7.5% |
| 1966 | 1,488 millimeters | -1.1% |
| 1967 | 1,588 millimeters | +6.7% |
| 1968 | 1,692 millimeters | +6.5% |
| 1969 | 1,384 millimeters | -18.2% |
| 1970 | 1,524 millimeters | +10.1% |
| 1971 | 1,457 millimeters | -4.4% |
| 1972 | 1,543 millimeters | +5.9% |
| 1973 | 1,443 millimeters | -6.5% |
| 1974 | 1,479 millimeters | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 1,716 millimeters | +16.0% |
| 1976 | 1,490 millimeters | -13.2% |
| 1977 | 1,471 millimeters | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 1,470 millimeters | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 1,738 millimeters | +18.2% |
| 1980 | 1,702 millimeters | -2.1% |
| 1981 | 1,520 millimeters | -10.7% |
| 1982 | 1,501 millimeters | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 1,665 millimeters | +10.9% |
| 1984 | 1,577 millimeters | -5.3% |
| 1985 | 1,478 millimeters | -6.3% |
| 1986 | 1,582 millimeters | +7.0% |
| 1987 | 1,595 millimeters | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 1,725 millimeters | +8.1% |
| 1989 | 1,557 millimeters | -9.7% |
| 1990 | 1,536 millimeters | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 1,539 millimeters | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 1,481 millimeters | -3.7% |
| 1993 | 1,434 millimeters | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 1,601 millimeters | +11.7% |
| 1995 | 1,754 millimeters | +9.6% |
| 1996 | 1,623 millimeters | -7.5% |
| 1997 | 1,486 millimeters | -8.4% |
| 1998 | 1,679 millimeters | +13.0% |
| 1999 | 1,433 millimeters | -14.6% |
| 2000 | 1,550 millimeters | +8.2% |
| 2001 | 1,447 millimeters | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 1,532 millimeters | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 1,442 millimeters | -5.9% |
| 2004 | 1,729 millimeters | +19.9% |
| 2005 | 1,320 millimeters | -23.7% |
| 2006 | 1,609 millimeters | +21.9% |
| 2007 | 1,364 millimeters | -15.2% |
| 2008 | 1,486 millimeters | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 1,466 millimeters | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 1,632 millimeters | +11.3% |
| 2011 | 1,600 millimeters | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 1,517 millimeters | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 1,525 millimeters | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 1,507 millimeters | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 1,438 millimeters | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 1,651 millimeters | +14.8% |
| 2017 | 1,542 millimeters | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 1,706 millimeters | +10.6% |
| 2019 | 1,583 millimeters | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 1,402 millimeters | -11.4% |
| 2021 | 1,646 millimeters | +17.4% |
| 2022 | 1,698 millimeters | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 1,608 millimeters | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 1,490 millimeters | -7.3% |
| 2025 | 1,631 millimeters | +9.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 1,631 millimeters is above the median for high income countries, which is 891.63 millimeters, 1.8× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 1,631 millimeters is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,984 millimeters, 82% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1,443 millimeters | 1,263 millimeters | 1,744 millimeters | 10 |
| 1950s | 1,517 millimeters | 1,323 millimeters | 1,739 millimeters | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,516 millimeters | 1,342 millimeters | 1,692 millimeters | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,533 millimeters | 1,443 millimeters | 1,738 millimeters | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,590 millimeters | 1,478 millimeters | 1,725 millimeters | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,556 millimeters | 1,433 millimeters | 1,754 millimeters | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,495 millimeters | 1,320 millimeters | 1,729 millimeters | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,570 millimeters | 1,438 millimeters | 1,706 millimeters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,579 millimeters | 1,402 millimeters | 1,698 millimeters | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More climate change data for New Zealand
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 113.13 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 46,323 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,983 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,340 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 45.22 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,226 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 694.4 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 691.2 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3.2 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.61 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual precipitation in New Zealand?
- Annual precipitation in New Zealand was 1,631 millimeters in 2025, according to Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual precipitation recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1,754 millimeters in 1995.
- What is the lowest annual precipitation recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,263 millimeters in 1947.
- How does New Zealand rank for annual precipitation?
- New Zealand ranks 43rd out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual precipitation rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual precipitation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 86 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual precipitation—rain and snow—calculated as the sum of daily averages, reported as the depth of water falling to Earth's surface, excluding fog and dew.