Real interest rate in New Zealand
New Zealand: Real interest rate was 1.1% in 2017. ▼ Falling
Real interest rate in New Zealand, 1998–2017
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for real interest rate in New Zealand is 1.1%, measured in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
That represents a change of down 57.6% on the previous year and down 66.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, real interest rate in New Zealand peaked at 7.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2017.
New Zealand ranks 116th of 148 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.1% | 6.4% | 7.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.8% | 3.1% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.4% | 1.1% | 6.0% | 8 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 113 Suriname 1.3% compare
- 114 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.2% compare
- 115 Czechia 1.1% compare
- 117 South Korea 1.0% compare
- 118 Japan 1.0% compare
- 119 North Macedonia 0.8% compare
More financial sector data for New Zealand
- Domestic credit to private sector 143.4% (2025)
- Net domestic credit 640.25 billion current LCU (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports 3.9 (2025)
- Net foreign assets -85.35 billion current LCU (2025)
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks 129.7% (2025)
- Claims on central government, etc. 11.7% (2025)
- Monetary Sector credit to private sector 129.7% (2025)
- Broad money 99.6% (2025)
- Official exchange rate 1.72 LCU per US$, period average (2025)
- Net migration 17,403 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is real interest rate in New Zealand?
- Real interest rate in New Zealand was 1.1% in 2017, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest real interest rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 7.9% in 1998.
- What is the lowest real interest rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2017.
- How does New Zealand rank for real interest rate?
- New Zealand ranks 116th out of 148 countries with data for 2017.
- Is real interest rate rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Real interest rate (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
An interest rate is the amount charged, expressed as a percentage of the principal over a period of time, by the owners of certain kinds of financial assets for putting the financial assets at the disposal of another institutional unit. The real interest rate is the lending interest rate adjusted for inflation as measured by the GDP deflator. The terms and conditions attached to lending rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability. This indicator is expressed as a percentage (a÷b)*100.