Nitrous oxide emissions in New Zealand
New Zealand: Nitrous oxide emissions was 13.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
13.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
45th
of 201 countries
All-time high
14.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1986
All-time low
1.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Nitrous oxide emissions in New Zealand, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nitrous oxide emissions in New Zealand is 13.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions in New Zealand peaked at 14.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
That places New Zealand 45th out of 201 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 2.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.11 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 2.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 2.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 3.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 3.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 3.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 4.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 5.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 5.36 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 6.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 9.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 12.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 14.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 42 Niger 14.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 43 Mali 13.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 44 South Korea 13.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 46 Saudi Arabia 13.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 47 Mozambique 12.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 48 Uganda 12.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
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 nitrous oxide emissions in New Zealand?
- Nitrous oxide emissions in New Zealand was 13.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrous oxide emissions recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 14.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1986.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does New Zealand rank for nitrous oxide emissions?
- New Zealand ranks 45th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Nitrous oxide emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.