Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) was 129.35 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
129.35 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
72nd
of 220 countries
All-time high
166.47 terawatt-hours
in 2019
All-time low
51.77 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Fossil fuel consumption in New Zealand, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 129.35 terawatt-hours for fossil fuel consumption in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.4% on the previous year and down 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption in New Zealand peaked at 166.47 terawatt-hours in 2019 and was at its lowest, 51.77 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
That places New Zealand 72nd out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 51.77 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 54.74 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 1967 | 54.94 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 54.99 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 56.9 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 1970 | 64.73 terawatt-hours | +13.8% |
| 1971 | 64.67 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 69.53 terawatt-hours | +7.5% |
| 1973 | 74.81 terawatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 1974 | 73.6 terawatt-hours | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 71.12 terawatt-hours | -3.4% |
| 1976 | 78.95 terawatt-hours | +11.0% |
| 1977 | 84.18 terawatt-hours | +6.6% |
| 1978 | 80.01 terawatt-hours | -5.0% |
| 1979 | 74.11 terawatt-hours | -7.4% |
| 1980 | 71.38 terawatt-hours | -3.7% |
| 1981 | 71.02 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 79.47 terawatt-hours | +11.9% |
| 1983 | 80.62 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 87 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 1985 | 90.62 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 95.41 terawatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 97.69 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 101.22 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 104.94 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 109.9 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1991 | 113.33 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 119.13 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 1993 | 117.34 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 121.7 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 124.59 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 131.88 terawatt-hours | +5.9% |
| 1997 | 140.28 terawatt-hours | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 133.42 terawatt-hours | -4.9% |
| 1999 | 141.68 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 2000 | 146.03 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 153.16 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 152.58 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 149.79 terawatt-hours | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 145.49 terawatt-hours | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 149.44 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 149.97 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 148.05 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 150.74 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 142.38 terawatt-hours | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 143.9 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 142.58 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 149.93 terawatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 150.95 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 156.51 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 156.02 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 156.31 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 163.49 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 160.02 terawatt-hours | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 166.47 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 145.62 terawatt-hours | -12.5% |
| 2021 | 141.31 terawatt-hours | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 132.45 terawatt-hours | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 138.72 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 135.32 terawatt-hours | -2.4% |
| 2025 | 129.35 terawatt-hours | -4.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 129.35 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 117.38 terawatt-hours, 1.1× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 129.35 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.44 terawatt-hours, 2.3× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 54.67 terawatt-hours | 51.77 terawatt-hours | 56.9 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 73.57 terawatt-hours | 64.67 terawatt-hours | 84.18 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 87.94 terawatt-hours | 71.02 terawatt-hours | 104.94 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 125.32 terawatt-hours | 109.9 terawatt-hours | 141.68 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 148.76 terawatt-hours | 142.38 terawatt-hours | 153.16 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 154.62 terawatt-hours | 142.58 terawatt-hours | 166.47 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 137.13 terawatt-hours | 129.35 terawatt-hours | 145.62 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More energy & mining data for New Zealand
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- 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)
- Fuel imports 12.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fossil fuel consumption in New Zealand?
- Fossil fuel consumption in New Zealand was 129.35 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel consumption recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 166.47 terawatt-hours in 2019.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.77 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does New Zealand rank for fossil fuel consumption?
- New Zealand ranks 72nd out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuel consumption rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. 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) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuel consumption. 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. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.