Central government debt, total in New Zealand

New Zealand: Central government debt, total was 224.61 billion current LCU in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
224.61 billion current LCU
Change on year
up 7.9%
World rank
47th
of 83 countries
All-time high
224.61 billion current LCU
in 2024
All-time low
44.31 billion current LCU
in 2002
Years of data
23
2002–2024

Central government debt, total in New Zealand, 2002–2024

50.0B100.0B150.0B200.0B2002201320242002: 44.3B current LCU2003: 69.7B current LCU2004: 67.8B current LCU2005: 72.0B current LCU2006: 73.9B current LCU2007: 69.0B current LCU2008: 68.4B current LCU2009: 62.1B current LCU2010: 70.8B current LCU2011: 102.5B current LCU2012: 112.3B current LCU2013: 108.1B current LCU2014: 106.6B current LCU2015: 109.6B current LCU2016: 112.4B current LCU2017: 112.4B current LCU2018: 112.2B current LCU2019: 106.0B current LCU2020: 150.2B current LCU2021: 184.2B current LCU2022: 212.4B current LCU2023: 208.2B current LCU2024: 224.6B current LCU

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.

Analysis

In 2024, central government debt, total in New Zealand stood at 224.61 billion current LCU. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

That represents a change of up 7.9% on the previous year and up 110.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, central government debt, total in New Zealand peaked at 224.61 billion current LCU in 2024 and was at its lowest, 44.31 billion current LCU, in 2002.

That places New Zealand 47th out of 83 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 65.89 billion current LCU 44.31 billion current LCU 73.88 billion current LCU 8
2010s 105.29 billion current LCU 70.78 billion current LCU 112.40 billion current LCU 10
2020s 195.94 billion current LCU 150.25 billion current LCU 224.61 billion current LCU 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 44 Peru 309.59 billion current LCU compare
  2. 45 Mauritius 296.83 billion current LCU compare
  3. 46 Norway 275.92 billion current LCU compare
  4. 48 Bhutan 202.15 billion current LCU compare
  5. 49 Switzerland 190.25 billion current LCU compare
  6. 50 Netherlands 170.01 billion current LCU compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More public sector data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is central government debt, total in New Zealand?
Central government debt, total in New Zealand was 224.61 billion current LCU in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 224.61 billion current LCU in 2024.
What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 44.31 billion current LCU in 2002.
How does New Zealand rank for central government debt, total?
New Zealand ranks 47th out of 83 countries with data for 2024.
Is central government debt, total rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 110.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Central government debt, total (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
83 places, 1,590 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.