Food exports in New Zealand
New Zealand: Food exports was 69.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Food exports in New Zealand, 1964–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise exports.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 69.0% for food exports in 2025. That is the highest value across all 62 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food exports in New Zealand peaked at 69.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 43.9%, in 1995.
New Zealand ranks 23rd of 196 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Food exports in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 52.4% | — |
| 1965 | 56.6% | +8.0% |
| 1966 | 52.8% | -6.7% |
| 1967 | 63.5% | +20.2% |
| 1968 | 58.9% | -7.3% |
| 1969 | 58.1% | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 59.1% | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 61.0% | +3.2% |
| 1972 | 56.9% | -6.6% |
| 1973 | 54.0% | -5.2% |
| 1974 | 52.8% | -2.2% |
| 1975 | 53.9% | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 49.4% | -8.4% |
| 1977 | 47.6% | -3.6% |
| 1978 | 47.1% | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 46.8% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 47.9% | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 51.2% | +6.8% |
| 1982 | 53.9% | +5.3% |
| 1983 | 51.7% | -4.0% |
| 1984 | 48.0% | -7.1% |
| 1985 | 48.3% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 48.2% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 47.3% | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 44.6% | -5.6% |
| 1989 | 45.6% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 47.0% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 47.6% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 48.9% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 47.1% | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 44.3% | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 43.9% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 46.2% | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 46.2% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 46.2% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 45.5% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 45.5% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 49.1% | +7.8% |
| 2002 | 48.4% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 49.0% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 50.5% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 51.8% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 51.5% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 52.0% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 52.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 54.8% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 55.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 55.4% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 55.8% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 58.1% | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 60.5% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 60.1% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 60.7% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 62.2% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 61.9% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 65.0% | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 67.9% | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 66.2% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 65.7% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 65.8% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 67.1% | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 69.0% | +2.9% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 69.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.5%, 6.0× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 69.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.2%, 4.5× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 57.1% | 52.4% | 63.5% | 6 |
| 1970s | 52.9% | 46.8% | 61.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 48.7% | 44.6% | 53.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.3% | 43.9% | 48.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.5% | 45.5% | 54.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.5% | 55.0% | 65.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.9% | 65.7% | 69.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More private sector data for New Zealand
- Merchandise trade 35.7% (2025)
- Food imports 12.8% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 70.7% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 47.55 billion current US$ (2025)
- Manufactures exports 14.0% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 46.70 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 8,770 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1769 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 10.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 8,930 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food exports in New Zealand?
- Food exports in New Zealand was 69.0% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food exports recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 69.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest food exports recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.9% in 1995.
- How does New Zealand rank for food exports?
- New Zealand ranks 23rd out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is food exports rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food exports (% of merchandise exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise exports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.