New Zealand: Cereal yield (kg per hectare)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, New Zealand's cereal yield (kg per hectare) rose 613.1 on 2023 (from 8,489 to 9,102).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +107.03 and a typical year strayed about 480.99 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1,104 in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 707 in 1970. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 79.28 a year. A straight line explains 40% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, New Zealand had the 8th highest value of the 176 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to New Zealand in the 2024 ranking

• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 5th of 176: 13,344
• Mauritius — 6th of 176: 11,890
• New Caledonia — 7th of 176: 11,650
• United States — 9th of 176: 8,414
• Bahamas, The — 10th of 176: 7,737
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 11th of 176: 7,360

What this measures

Cereal yield, measured as kilograms per hectare of harvested land, includes wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded. The FAO allocates production data to the calendar year in which the bulk of the harvest took place. Most of a crop harvested near the end of a year will be used in the following year.

Limitations: Cereals production data relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded. The FAO allocates production data to the calendar year in which the bulk of the harvest took place. Most of a crop harvested near the end of a year will be used in the following year. The data are collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through annual questionnaires. The FAO tries to impose standard definitions and reporting methods, but complete consistency across countries and over time is not possible.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 64 values

Cereal yield (kg per hectare) in nearby economies

• Australia — 2,690 (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 2,418 (2024)
• Cambodia — 3,778 (2024)
• China — 6,495 (2024)
• Fiji — 3,065 (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 2,059 (2023)
• Indonesia — 5,421 (2024)
• Japan — 6,248 (2024)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 3,610 (2024)
• Korea, Rep. — 6,544 (2024)
• Lao PDR — 4,196 (2024)

More environment data for New Zealand

• Population in largest city — 1.71 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 38.26% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 1.71 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 32.14% (2025)
• Rural population — 852,066 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 16% (2025)
• Urban population — 4.47 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 84% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 98,878 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is New Zealand's cereal yield (kg per hectare)?

9,102 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1961?

It is up 191.23% from 3,125 in 1961 (1.71% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 9,102 in 2024 and the lowest 2,733 in 1963.

How does New Zealand rank?

8th highest of 176 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in cereal yield (kg per hectare) unusual for New Zealand?

In 2024, New Zealand's cereal yield (kg per hectare) rose 613.1 on 2023 (from 8,489 to 9,102). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +107.03 and a typical year strayed about 480.99 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator AG.YLD.CREL.KG, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), uri: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL, publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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