Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in New Zealand
New Zealand: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 646.78 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Cumulative 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
In 2024, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in New Zealand stood at 646.78 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 147 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in New Zealand peaked at 646.78 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 355,408 tonnes, in 1878.
New Zealand ranks 51st of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 608,224 tonnes | 355,408 tonnes | 861,040 tonnes | 2 |
| 1880s | 5.94 million tonnes | 1.52 million tonnes | 11.29 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 20.00 million tonnes | 12.71 million tonnes | 28.32 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 45.74 million tonnes | 30.76 million tonnes | 63.05 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | 89.18 million tonnes | 67.95 million tonnes | 109.98 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 131.12 million tonnes | 113.54 million tonnes | 150.69 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 173.01 million tonnes | 155.46 million tonnes | 191.47 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 219.55 million tonnes | 196.12 million tonnes | 243.73 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 274.88 million tonnes | 249.56 million tonnes | 301.03 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 334.21 million tonnes | 307.62 million tonnes | 358.80 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 386.25 million tonnes | 363.77 million tonnes | 407.85 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 430.27 million tonnes | 411.86 million tonnes | 449.18 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 475.06 million tonnes | 453.84 million tonnes | 496.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 532.34 million tonnes | 500.57 million tonnes | 566.30 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 597.32 million tonnes | 571.78 million tonnes | 621.22 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 636.81 million tonnes | 626.56 million tonnes | 646.78 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 cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in New Zealand?
- Cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in New Zealand was 646.78 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 646.78 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 355,408 tonnes in 1878.
- How does New Zealand rank for cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- New Zealand ranks 51st out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cumulative co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Cumulative 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
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.