Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in New Zealand
New Zealand: Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry was 39.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
39.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
75th
of 198 countries
All-time high
45.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2006
All-time low
106,079 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry 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
In 2024, total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in New Zealand stood at 39.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in New Zealand peaked at 45.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2006 and was at its lowest, 106,079 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
New Zealand ranks 75th of 198 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 114,289 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 106,079 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 122,510 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 138,327 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 124,310 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 154,117 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 278,010 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 158,260 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 782,315 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 958,088 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 2.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 4.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 5.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 5.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 5.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 6.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 11.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 16.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 22.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 25.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 31.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 31.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 38.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 39.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 45.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 41.32 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 43.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 38.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 41.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 72 Tunisia 39.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 73 Tanzania 39.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 74 Bulgaria 39.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 76 Hong Kong 38.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 77 Dominican Republic 38.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 78 Kenya 38.00 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 total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in New Zealand?
- Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry in New Zealand was 39.18 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 total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 45.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2006.
- What is the lowest total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 106,079 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does New Zealand rank for total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry?
- New Zealand ranks 75th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. 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 Total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding land use and forestry. 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
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.