Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education was 12.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand, 1985–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand is 12.7%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand peaked at 16.2% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 1986.
That places New Zealand 96th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.0% | 8.1% | 10.1% | 5 |
| 1990s | 15.2% | 14.0% | 16.2% | 5 |
| 2000s | 14.8% | 14.8% | 14.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 15.0% | 13.5% | 15.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 12.6% | 13.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More economy & growth data for New Zealand
- Exports of goods and services 64.60 billion current US$ (2024)
- Final consumption expenditure 78.0% (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added 63.45 billion constant LCU (2024)
- Gross national expenditure 264.40 billion current US$ (2024)
- Gross national expenditure 436.87 billion current LCU (2024)
- Gross national expenditure 228.28 billion constant 2015 US$ (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added -4.7% (2024)
- Gross national expenditure 101.1% (2024)
- Gross fixed capital formation 61.12 billion current US$ (2024)
- Exports of goods and services 24.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand?
- Share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand was 12.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 16.2% in 1999.
- What is the lowest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 1986.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- New Zealand ranks 96th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.