Electricity generation in New Zealand
New Zealand: Electricity generation was 43.34 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
43.34 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
61st
of 214 countries
All-time high
44.31 terawatt-hours
in 2010
All-time low
28.46 terawatt-hours
in 1985
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Electricity generation in New Zealand, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for electricity generation in New Zealand is 43.34 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation in New Zealand peaked at 44.31 terawatt-hours in 2010 and was at its lowest, 28.46 terawatt-hours, in 1985.
That places New Zealand 61st out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Electricity generation in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 28.46 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 29.35 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 29.75 terawatt-hours | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 31.09 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 31.36 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 32.61 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 33.64 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 33.21 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 34.62 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 35.2 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 36.41 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 36.8 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 37.44 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 37.78 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 37.96 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 38.91 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 39.28 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 40.21 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 40.37 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 42.27 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 42.48 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 43.04 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 43.38 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 43.39 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 42.95 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 44.31 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 43.86 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 43.75 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 42.7 terawatt-hours | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 42.92 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 43.57 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 43.15 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 43.66 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 43.73 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 43.75 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 43.35 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 43.55 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 43.25 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 42.89 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 44.01 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 43.34 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 43.34 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.95 terawatt-hours, 1.4× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 43.34 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.73 terawatt-hours, 3.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 30 terawatt-hours | 28.46 terawatt-hours | 31.36 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 35.57 terawatt-hours | 32.61 terawatt-hours | 37.96 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.63 terawatt-hours | 38.91 terawatt-hours | 43.39 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.54 terawatt-hours | 42.7 terawatt-hours | 44.31 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.4 terawatt-hours | 42.89 terawatt-hours | 44.01 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More energy & mining data for New Zealand
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 12.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation in New Zealand?
- Electricity generation in New Zealand was 43.34 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 44.31 terawatt-hours in 2010.
- What is the lowest electricity generation recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.46 terawatt-hours in 1985.
- How does New Zealand rank for electricity generation?
- New Zealand ranks 61st out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total electricity generated in each country or region, measured in terawatt-hours.