Fossil fuels in New Zealand
New Zealand: Fossil fuels was 18.34 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
18.34
Change on year
up 4.2%
World rank
34th
of 220 countries
All-time high
41.68
in 2006
All-time low
7.42
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Fossil fuels in New Zealand, 1900–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, fossil fuels in New Zealand stood at 18.34.
That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and down 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuels in New Zealand peaked at 41.68 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 7.42, in 1900.
That places New Zealand 34th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Fossil fuels in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 7.42 | — |
| 1901 | 8.33 | +12.2% |
| 1902 | 9.24 | +11.0% |
| 1903 | 9.63 | +4.2% |
| 1904 | 10.43 | +8.3% |
| 1905 | 10.76 | +3.1% |
| 1906 | 11.73 | +9.1% |
| 1907 | 12.42 | +5.8% |
| 1908 | 12.62 | +1.6% |
| 1909 | 12.96 | +2.7% |
| 1910 | 14.9 | +15.0% |
| 1911 | 14.01 | -6.0% |
| 1912 | 14.77 | +5.4% |
| 1913 | 12.8 | -13.3% |
| 1914 | 15.43 | +20.6% |
| 1915 | 14.98 | -2.9% |
| 1916 | 15.31 | +2.2% |
| 1917 | 14.02 | -8.4% |
| 1918 | 13.79 | -1.6% |
| 1919 | 12.53 | -9.1% |
| 1920 | 10.77 | -14.1% |
| 1921 | 10.59 | -1.7% |
| 1922 | 10.77 | +1.7% |
| 1923 | 11.61 | +7.8% |
| 1924 | 12.08 | +4.0% |
| 1925 | 12.38 | +2.5% |
| 1926 | 12.92 | +4.4% |
| 1927 | 13.6 | +5.3% |
| 1928 | 13.96 | +2.6% |
| 1929 | 14.6 | +4.6% |
| 1930 | 14.62 | +0.1% |
| 1931 | 12.81 | -12.4% |
| 1932 | 10.74 | -16.2% |
| 1933 | 10.78 | +0.3% |
| 1934 | 12.45 | +15.5% |
| 1935 | 12.84 | +3.2% |
| 1936 | 12.95 | +0.8% |
| 1937 | 13.66 | +5.5% |
| 1938 | 13.26 | -2.9% |
| 1939 | 13.95 | +5.2% |
| 1940 | 14.94 | +7.1% |
| 1941 | 15.71 | +5.1% |
| 1942 | 16 | +1.9% |
| 1943 | 16.82 | +5.1% |
| 1944 | 17.09 | +1.6% |
| 1945 | 17.5 | +2.4% |
| 1946 | 17.24 | -1.5% |
| 1947 | 17 | -1.4% |
| 1948 | 17.13 | +0.8% |
| 1949 | 17.43 | +1.8% |
| 1950 | 16.45 | -5.6% |
| 1951 | 15.36 | -6.6% |
| 1952 | 17.14 | +11.6% |
| 1953 | 15.72 | -8.3% |
| 1954 | 16.17 | +2.8% |
| 1955 | 15.97 | -1.2% |
| 1956 | 16.43 | +2.9% |
| 1957 | 16.25 | -1.1% |
| 1958 | 16.98 | +4.5% |
| 1959 | 17.6 | +3.6% |
| 1960 | 19.07 | +8.3% |
| 1961 | 18.57 | -2.6% |
| 1962 | 16.1 | -13.3% |
| 1963 | 17.51 | +8.7% |
| 1964 | 18.39 | +5.1% |
| 1965 | 16.93 | -7.9% |
| 1966 | 16.54 | -2.3% |
| 1967 | 15.1 | -8.7% |
| 1968 | 14.14 | -6.3% |
| 1969 | 15.02 | +6.2% |
| 1970 | 15.25 | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 13.6 | -10.8% |
| 1972 | 14 | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 15.87 | +13.4% |
| 1974 | 16.67 | +5.0% |
| 1975 | 17 | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 17.67 | +3.9% |
| 1977 | 16.85 | -4.7% |
| 1978 | 15.51 | -7.9% |
| 1979 | 14.34 | -7.5% |
| 1980 | 13.93 | -2.9% |
| 1981 | 14.47 | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 14.63 | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 16.23 | +10.9% |
| 1984 | 16.75 | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 16.01 | -4.4% |
| 1986 | 16.7 | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 14.52 | -13.0% |
| 1988 | 16.34 | +12.5% |
| 1989 | 18.54 | +13.4% |
| 1990 | 17.42 | -6.0% |
| 1991 | 18.28 | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 20.81 | +13.9% |
| 1993 | 23.49 | +12.8% |
| 1994 | 21.57 | -8.2% |
| 1995 | 26.45 | +22.6% |
| 1996 | 27 | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 25.41 | -5.9% |
| 1998 | 22.07 | -13.1% |
| 1999 | 25.47 | +15.4% |
| 2000 | 25.38 | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 28.83 | +13.6% |
| 2002 | 33.15 | +15.0% |
| 2003 | 37.63 | +13.5% |
| 2004 | 38.05 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 38.73 | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 41.68 | +7.6% |
| 2007 | 34.67 | -16.8% |
| 2008 | 34.74 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 32.31 | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 38.58 | +19.4% |
| 2011 | 35.61 | -7.7% |
| 2012 | 35.33 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 33.53 | -5.1% |
| 2014 | 28.7 | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 23.71 | -17.4% |
| 2016 | 19.88 | -16.1% |
| 2017 | 20.13 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 22.11 | +9.8% |
| 2019 | 20.79 | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 19.01 | -8.5% |
| 2021 | 19.57 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 18.33 | -6.4% |
| 2023 | 18.27 | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 17.61 | -3.6% |
| 2025 | 18.34 | +4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 10.55 | 7.42 | 12.96 | 10 |
| 1910s | 14.26 | 12.53 | 15.43 | 10 |
| 1920s | 12.33 | 10.59 | 14.6 | 10 |
| 1930s | 12.81 | 10.74 | 14.62 | 10 |
| 1940s | 16.69 | 14.94 | 17.5 | 10 |
| 1950s | 16.41 | 15.36 | 17.6 | 10 |
| 1960s | 16.74 | 14.14 | 19.07 | 10 |
| 1970s | 15.68 | 13.6 | 17.67 | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.81 | 13.93 | 18.54 | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.8 | 17.42 | 27 | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.52 | 25.38 | 41.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.83 | 19.88 | 38.58 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.52 | 17.61 | 19.57 | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More energy & mining data for New Zealand
- Primary energy from fossil nuclear renewables, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Primary energy from fossil nuclear renewables, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fuel imports 12.0% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 2.1% (2025)
- Fuel exports 0.9% (2025)
- Ores and metals exports 3.3% (2025)
- Gas production 35.27 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 6,765 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 35.27 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Gas production per person 6,765 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fossil fuels in New Zealand?
- Fossil fuels in New Zealand was 18.34 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuels recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 41.68 in 2006.
- What is the lowest fossil fuels recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.42 in 1900.
- How does New Zealand rank for fossil fuels?
- New Zealand ranks 34th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuels rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).