Beach litter items per unit of surface area in New Zealand

New Zealand: Beach litter items per unit of surface area was 4 num items per 100m2 in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
4 num items per 100m2
Change on year
up 300.0%
World rank
78th
of 106 countries
All-time high
348 num items per 100m2
in 2020
All-time low
1 num items per 100m2
in 2023
Years of data
9
2016–2024

Beach litter items per unit of surface area in New Zealand, 2016–2024

01002003002016202020242016: 28 num items per 100m22017: 2 num items per 100m22018: 28 num items per 100m22019: 133 num items per 100m22020: 348 num items per 100m22021: 34 num items per 100m22022: 20 num items per 100m22023: 1 num items per 100m22024: 4 num items per 100m2

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in num items per 100m2.

Analysis

The most recent figure for beach litter items per unit of surface area in New Zealand is 4 num items per 100m2, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 300.0% on the previous year and down 85.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, beach litter items per unit of surface area in New Zealand peaked at 348 num items per 100m2 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1 num items per 100m2, in 2023.

New Zealand ranks 78th of 106 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Beach litter items per unit of surface area in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Beach litter items per unit of surface area (Number of items per 100 square meters) in New Zealand, 2016 to 2024.
Year num items per 100m2 Change
2016 28 num items per 100m2
2017 2 num items per 100m2 -92.9%
2018 28 num items per 100m2 +1300.0%
2019 133 num items per 100m2 +375.0%
2020 348 num items per 100m2 +161.7%
2021 34 num items per 100m2 -90.2%
2022 20 num items per 100m2 -41.2%
2023 1 num items per 100m2 -95.0%
2024 4 num items per 100m2 +300.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 47.75 num items per 100m2 2 num items per 100m2 133 num items per 100m2 4
2020s 81.4 num items per 100m2 1 num items per 100m2 348 num items per 100m2 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 76 Costa Rica 5 num items per 100m2 compare
  2. 76 Suriname 5 num items per 100m2 compare
  3. 78 Argentina 4 num items per 100m2 compare
  4. 78 China 4 num items per 100m2 compare
  5. 78 Indonesia 4 num items per 100m2 compare
  6. 78 Mauritius 4 num items per 100m2 compare
  7. 78 Micronesia 4 num items per 100m2 compare
  8. 78 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4 num items per 100m2 compare

See the full ranking of 140 places →

More development goals data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is beach litter items per unit of surface area in New Zealand?
Beach litter items per unit of surface area in New Zealand was 4 num items per 100m2 in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest beach litter items per unit of surface area recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 348 num items per 100m2 in 2020.
What is the lowest beach litter items per unit of surface area recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 1 num items per 100m2 in 2023.
How does New Zealand rank for beach litter items per unit of surface area?
New Zealand ranks 78th out of 106 countries with data for 2024.
Is beach litter items per unit of surface area rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 85.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Beach litter items per unit of surface area (Number of items per 100 square meters). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Beach litter items per unit of surface area in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://development-goals.statizoid.com/stat/beach-litter-items-per-unit-of-surface-area-number-of-items-per-100-square-meters/new-zealand/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://development-goals.statizoid.com/stat/beach-litter-items-per-unit-of-surface-area-number-of-items-per-100-square-meters/new-zealand/">Beach litter items per unit of surface area in New Zealand</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Beach litter items per unit of surface area (Number of items per 100 square meters)
Unit
num items per 100m2
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
140 places, 1,211 data points, 2015–2024
Last refreshed