CO₂ emissions by sector in New Zealand
New Zealand: CO₂ emissions by sector was 1.84 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.84 million tonnes
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
75th
of 187 countries
All-time high
1.94 million tonnes
in 2022
All-time low
1.14 million tonnes
in 1993
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions by sector in New Zealand, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, co₂ emissions by sector in New Zealand stood at 1.84 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.2% on the previous year and up 31.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions by sector in New Zealand peaked at 1.94 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.14 million tonnes, in 1993.
That places New Zealand 75th out of 187 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.
CO₂ emissions by sector in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.44 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 1.34 million tonnes | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 1.43 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1993 | 1.14 million tonnes | -20.3% |
| 1994 | 1.42 million tonnes | +24.6% |
| 1995 | 1.33 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1996 | 1.24 million tonnes | -6.8% |
| 1997 | 1.26 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 1.28 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 1.29 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 1.40 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2001 | 1.38 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 1.33 million tonnes | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 1.50 million tonnes | +12.8% |
| 2004 | 1.62 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 2005 | 1.56 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 1.44 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2007 | 1.37 million tonnes | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 1.29 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 1.34 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 1.40 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 1.38 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 1.44 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 1.40 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 1.49 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 1.54 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 1.53 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.61 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 1.65 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 1.88 million tonnes | +13.9% |
| 2020 | 1.83 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 1.83 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.94 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2023 | 1.84 million tonnes | -5.2% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 1.84 million tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.00 million tonnes, 92% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 1.84 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 405,000 tonnes, 4.5× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.32 million tonnes | 1.14 million tonnes | 1.44 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.42 million tonnes | 1.29 million tonnes | 1.62 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.53 million tonnes | 1.38 million tonnes | 1.88 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.86 million tonnes | 1.83 million tonnes | 1.94 million tonnes | 4 |
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 co₂ emissions by sector in New Zealand?
- Co₂ emissions by sector in New Zealand was 1.84 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1.94 million tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.14 million tonnes in 1993.
- How does New Zealand rank for co₂ emissions by sector?
- New Zealand ranks 75th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions by sector. 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
Emissions are measured in tonnes.