Electricity generation from hydropower in New Zealand
New Zealand: Electricity generation from hydropower was 23.77 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
23.77 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
30th
of 215 countries
All-time high
27.53 terawatt-hours
in 1995
All-time low
10.02 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Electricity generation from hydropower in New Zealand, 1965–2025
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 from hydropower in New Zealand is 23.77 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from hydropower in New Zealand peaked at 27.53 terawatt-hours in 1995 and was at its lowest, 10.02 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
New Zealand ranks 30th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Electricity generation from hydropower in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 10.02 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 10.81 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 1967 | 11.22 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 11.77 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 11.64 terawatt-hours | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 12.67 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 1971 | 14.39 terawatt-hours | +13.6% |
| 1972 | 15.26 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 1973 | 15.1 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 15.19 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 16.66 terawatt-hours | +9.7% |
| 1976 | 15.5 terawatt-hours | -7.0% |
| 1977 | 14.72 terawatt-hours | -5.0% |
| 1978 | 15.66 terawatt-hours | +6.4% |
| 1979 | 18.44 terawatt-hours | +17.8% |
| 1980 | 19.36 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 19.68 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 18.3 terawatt-hours | -7.0% |
| 1983 | 19.75 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 1984 | 20.38 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 19.71 terawatt-hours | -3.3% |
| 1986 | 22.1 terawatt-hours | +12.1% |
| 1987 | 21.93 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 22.96 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 22.56 terawatt-hours | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 23.19 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 22.89 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 21.09 terawatt-hours | -7.9% |
| 1993 | 23.49 terawatt-hours | +11.4% |
| 1994 | 25.84 terawatt-hours | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 27.53 terawatt-hours | +6.6% |
| 1996 | 26.18 terawatt-hours | -4.9% |
| 1997 | 23.26 terawatt-hours | -11.2% |
| 1998 | 25.32 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 1999 | 22.92 terawatt-hours | -9.5% |
| 2000 | 24.19 terawatt-hours | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 21.46 terawatt-hours | -11.3% |
| 2002 | 24.62 terawatt-hours | +14.7% |
| 2003 | 23.39 terawatt-hours | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 26.97 terawatt-hours | +15.3% |
| 2005 | 23.09 terawatt-hours | -14.4% |
| 2006 | 23.34 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 23.4 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 22.12 terawatt-hours | -5.5% |
| 2009 | 23.98 terawatt-hours | +8.4% |
| 2010 | 24.48 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 24.86 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 22.67 terawatt-hours | -8.8% |
| 2013 | 22.8 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 24.07 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 24.28 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 25.66 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 24.93 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 26.03 terawatt-hours | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 25.32 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 24.03 terawatt-hours | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 23.99 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 25.86 terawatt-hours | +7.8% |
| 2023 | 26.17 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 23.45 terawatt-hours | -10.4% |
| 2025 | 23.77 terawatt-hours | +1.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 23.77 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.23 terawatt-hours, 103.3× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 23.77 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.57 terawatt-hours, 41.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.09 terawatt-hours | 10.02 terawatt-hours | 11.77 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 15.36 terawatt-hours | 12.67 terawatt-hours | 18.44 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.67 terawatt-hours | 18.3 terawatt-hours | 22.96 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.17 terawatt-hours | 21.09 terawatt-hours | 27.53 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.66 terawatt-hours | 21.46 terawatt-hours | 26.97 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.51 terawatt-hours | 22.67 terawatt-hours | 26.03 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.55 terawatt-hours | 23.45 terawatt-hours | 26.17 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 from hydropower in New Zealand?
- Electricity generation from hydropower in New Zealand was 23.77 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 from hydropower recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 27.53 terawatt-hours in 1995.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from hydropower recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.02 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does New Zealand rank for electricity generation from hydropower?
- New Zealand ranks 30th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. 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 from hydropower. 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.