Animal protein consumption in New Zealand
New Zealand: Animal protein consumption was 6.5 grams of protein per day per capita in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
6.5 grams of protein per day per capita
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
64th
of 192 countries
All-time high
8.72 grams of protein per day per capita
in 2007
All-time low
2.48 grams of protein per day per capita
in 1972
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Animal protein consumption in New Zealand, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of protein per day per capita.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 6.5 grams of protein per day per capita for animal protein consumption in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, animal protein consumption in New Zealand peaked at 8.72 grams of protein per day per capita in 2007 and was at its lowest, 2.48 grams of protein per day per capita, in 1972.
That places New Zealand 64th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Animal protein consumption in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | grams of protein per day per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.99 grams of protein per day per capita | — |
| 1962 | 4.33 grams of protein per day per capita | +8.4% |
| 1963 | 4.08 grams of protein per day per capita | -5.7% |
| 1964 | 3.52 grams of protein per day per capita | -13.7% |
| 1965 | 3.52 grams of protein per day per capita | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 3.83 grams of protein per day per capita | +8.9% |
| 1967 | 3.85 grams of protein per day per capita | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 3.41 grams of protein per day per capita | -11.5% |
| 1969 | 3.05 grams of protein per day per capita | -10.5% |
| 1970 | 3.11 grams of protein per day per capita | +1.9% |
| 1971 | 3.72 grams of protein per day per capita | +19.6% |
| 1972 | 2.48 grams of protein per day per capita | -33.3% |
| 1973 | 3.02 grams of protein per day per capita | +21.8% |
| 1974 | 2.87 grams of protein per day per capita | -4.9% |
| 1975 | 2.54 grams of protein per day per capita | -11.5% |
| 1976 | 2.86 grams of protein per day per capita | +12.7% |
| 1977 | 2.95 grams of protein per day per capita | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 3.98 grams of protein per day per capita | +34.8% |
| 1979 | 3.35 grams of protein per day per capita | -15.8% |
| 1980 | 3.44 grams of protein per day per capita | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 2.76 grams of protein per day per capita | -19.7% |
| 1982 | 3.62 grams of protein per day per capita | +31.1% |
| 1983 | 3.97 grams of protein per day per capita | +9.4% |
| 1984 | 4.01 grams of protein per day per capita | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 3.3 grams of protein per day per capita | -17.7% |
| 1986 | 3.19 grams of protein per day per capita | -3.4% |
| 1987 | 4.95 grams of protein per day per capita | +55.1% |
| 1988 | 3.59 grams of protein per day per capita | -27.5% |
| 1989 | 5.45 grams of protein per day per capita | +52.0% |
| 1990 | 5.98 grams of protein per day per capita | +9.7% |
| 1991 | 5.19 grams of protein per day per capita | -13.3% |
| 1992 | 4.98 grams of protein per day per capita | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 5.3 grams of protein per day per capita | +6.4% |
| 1994 | 5.34 grams of protein per day per capita | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 6.94 grams of protein per day per capita | +29.9% |
| 1996 | 5.2 grams of protein per day per capita | -25.0% |
| 1997 | 6.81 grams of protein per day per capita | +31.0% |
| 1998 | 6.63 grams of protein per day per capita | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 6.31 grams of protein per day per capita | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 6.25 grams of protein per day per capita | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 7.56 grams of protein per day per capita | +20.9% |
| 2002 | 7.9 grams of protein per day per capita | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 7.53 grams of protein per day per capita | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 8.09 grams of protein per day per capita | +7.5% |
| 2005 | 8.14 grams of protein per day per capita | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 7.43 grams of protein per day per capita | -8.8% |
| 2007 | 8.72 grams of protein per day per capita | +17.4% |
| 2008 | 7.87 grams of protein per day per capita | -9.8% |
| 2009 | 7.64 grams of protein per day per capita | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 7.16 grams of protein per day per capita | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 7.33 grams of protein per day per capita | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 6.72 grams of protein per day per capita | -8.3% |
| 2013 | 6.94 grams of protein per day per capita | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 6.85 grams of protein per day per capita | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 6.66 grams of protein per day per capita | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 6.61 grams of protein per day per capita | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 6.6 grams of protein per day per capita | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 6.92 grams of protein per day per capita | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 6.74 grams of protein per day per capita | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 6.64 grams of protein per day per capita | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 6.59 grams of protein per day per capita | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 6.56 grams of protein per day per capita | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 6.5 grams of protein per day per capita | -0.9% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 6.5 grams of protein per day per capita is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.15 grams of protein per day per capita, 1.1× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 6.5 grams of protein per day per capita is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10.24 grams of protein per day per capita, 63% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.73 grams of protein per day per capita | 3.05 grams of protein per day per capita | 4.33 grams of protein per day per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.09 grams of protein per day per capita | 2.48 grams of protein per day per capita | 3.98 grams of protein per day per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.83 grams of protein per day per capita | 2.76 grams of protein per day per capita | 5.45 grams of protein per day per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.87 grams of protein per day per capita | 4.98 grams of protein per day per capita | 6.94 grams of protein per day per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.71 grams of protein per day per capita | 6.25 grams of protein per day per capita | 8.72 grams of protein per day per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.85 grams of protein per day per capita | 6.6 grams of protein per day per capita | 7.33 grams of protein per day per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.57 grams of protein per day per capita | 6.5 grams of protein per day per capita | 6.64 grams of protein per day per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 61 Cote d'Ivoire 6.95 grams of protein per day per capita compare
- 62 Saint Lucia 6.94 grams of protein per day per capita compare
- 63 Russia 6.92 grams of protein per day per capita compare
- 65 New Caledonia 6.31 grams of protein per day per capita compare
- 66 Congo 6.24 grams of protein per day per capita compare
- 67 United Arab Emirates 6.15 grams of protein per day per capita compare
More economy & growth data for New Zealand
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 161.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.71 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.37 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0111 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 552.02 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.8628 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0081 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 403.08 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.49 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is animal protein consumption in New Zealand?
- Animal protein consumption in New Zealand was 6.5 grams of protein per day per capita in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest animal protein consumption recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 8.72 grams of protein per day per capita in 2007.
- What is the lowest animal protein consumption recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.48 grams of protein per day per capita in 1972.
- How does New Zealand rank for animal protein consumption?
- New Zealand ranks 64th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is animal protein consumption rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Animal protein consumption. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Quantity that is available for consumption at the end of the supply chain. It does not account for consumer waste, so the quantity that is actually consumed may be lower.