Coal production in New Zealand
New Zealand: Coal production was 18.34 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Coal production in New Zealand, 1900–2025
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
In 2025, coal production in New Zealand stood at 18.34 terawatt-hours.
That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and down 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, coal production in New Zealand peaked at 41.68 terawatt-hours in 2006 and was at its lowest, 7.42 terawatt-hours, in 1900.
That places New Zealand 33rd out of 219 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 10.55 terawatt-hours | 7.42 terawatt-hours | 12.96 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1910s | 14.26 terawatt-hours | 12.53 terawatt-hours | 15.43 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1920s | 12.33 terawatt-hours | 10.59 terawatt-hours | 14.6 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1930s | 12.81 terawatt-hours | 10.74 terawatt-hours | 14.62 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1940s | 16.69 terawatt-hours | 14.94 terawatt-hours | 17.5 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1950s | 16.41 terawatt-hours | 15.36 terawatt-hours | 17.6 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1960s | 16.74 terawatt-hours | 14.14 terawatt-hours | 19.07 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1970s | 15.68 terawatt-hours | 13.6 terawatt-hours | 17.67 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.81 terawatt-hours | 13.93 terawatt-hours | 18.54 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.8 terawatt-hours | 17.42 terawatt-hours | 27 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.52 terawatt-hours | 25.38 terawatt-hours | 41.68 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.83 terawatt-hours | 19.88 terawatt-hours | 38.58 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.52 terawatt-hours | 17.61 terawatt-hours | 19.57 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More energy & mining data for New Zealand
- Fuel imports 12.0% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 2.1% (2025)
- Ores and metals exports 3.2% (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)
- Fuel exports 0.9% (2025)
- Electric power transmission and distribution losses 6.7% (2024)
- Share of dietary energy supply from carbohydrates vs gdp per capita 56.79 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is coal production in New Zealand?
- Coal production in New Zealand was 18.34 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 coal production recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 41.68 terawatt-hours in 2006.
- What is the lowest coal production recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.42 terawatt-hours in 1900.
- How does New Zealand rank for coal production?
- New Zealand ranks 33rd out of 219 countries with data for 2025.
- Is coal production 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 Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Coal production. 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).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.