Australia vs New Zealand: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government
Australia
12.6%
in 2022
New Zealand
12.7%
in 2023
Australia rank
98th
New Zealand rank
96th
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government over time
- Australia
- New Zealand
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 12.7% against 12.6% in Australia, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 11 shared years of data; in 1980 it was New Zealand ahead.
Australia ranks 98th and New Zealand ranks 96th of 197 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 1 and New Zealand in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.8% | 6.4% | 2.6% | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 14.3% | 14.1% | 0.2% | Australia |
| 2020s | 12.3% | 13.2% | 0.9% | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher expenditure on education as a percentage of total government, Australia or New Zealand?
- New Zealand, at 12.7% against 12.6% in Australia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in expenditure on education as a percentage of total government between Australia and New Zealand?
- 0.1%, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
- 11 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2022.
- How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Australia ranks 98th and New Zealand ranks 96th of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release