Primary energy use in New Zealand
New Zealand: Primary energy use was 261.12 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
261.12 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
61st
of 219 countries
All-time high
278.96 terawatt-hours
in 2019
All-time low
75.27 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Primary energy use in New Zealand, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 261.12 terawatt-hours for primary energy use in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in New Zealand peaked at 278.96 terawatt-hours in 2019 and was at its lowest, 75.27 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
New Zealand ranks 61st of 219 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Primary energy use in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 75.27 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 79.14 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 1967 | 77.5 terawatt-hours | -2.1% |
| 1968 | 79.71 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1969 | 81.81 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 90.13 terawatt-hours | +10.2% |
| 1971 | 91.63 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 97.37 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 1973 | 102.33 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 1974 | 105.05 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 104.07 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 110.14 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 1977 | 113.82 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 110.82 terawatt-hours | -2.6% |
| 1979 | 106.44 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 1980 | 105.57 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 104.94 terawatt-hours | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 112.23 terawatt-hours | +6.9% |
| 1983 | 115 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 123.35 terawatt-hours | +7.3% |
| 1985 | 124.97 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 132.87 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 1987 | 134.93 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 139.58 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 147.83 terawatt-hours | +5.9% |
| 1990 | 156.79 terawatt-hours | +6.1% |
| 1991 | 161.52 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 165.16 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 167.07 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 172.27 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 176.25 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 181.97 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 188.41 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 186.29 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 194.75 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 202.15 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 205.33 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 207.29 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 202.53 terawatt-hours | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 202.68 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 206.79 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 209.81 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 210.14 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 218.11 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 218.69 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 231.12 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 233.9 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 241.4 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 246.31 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 258.88 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 264.6 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 268.57 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 275.14 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 272.2 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 278.96 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 257.28 terawatt-hours | -7.8% |
| 2021 | 254.68 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 248.58 terawatt-hours | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 252.54 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 258.03 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2025 | 261.12 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 261.12 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 158.21 terawatt-hours, 1.7× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 261.12 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.44 terawatt-hours, 4.6× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 78.69 terawatt-hours | 75.27 terawatt-hours | 81.81 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 103.18 terawatt-hours | 90.13 terawatt-hours | 113.82 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 124.13 terawatt-hours | 104.94 terawatt-hours | 147.83 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 175.05 terawatt-hours | 156.79 terawatt-hours | 194.75 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 208.35 terawatt-hours | 202.15 terawatt-hours | 218.69 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 257.11 terawatt-hours | 231.12 terawatt-hours | 278.96 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 255.37 terawatt-hours | 248.58 terawatt-hours | 261.12 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 primary energy use in New Zealand?
- Primary energy use in New Zealand was 261.12 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary energy use recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 278.96 terawatt-hours in 2019.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 75.27 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does New Zealand rank for primary energy use?
- New Zealand ranks 61st out of 219 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.