Education spending in New Zealand
New Zealand: Education spending was 5.21 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Education spending in New Zealand, 1937–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for education spending in New Zealand is 5.21, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, education spending in New Zealand peaked at 7.3 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 2.3, in 1937.
New Zealand ranks 55th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Education spending in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | 2.3 | — |
| 1960 | 3.2 | +39.1% |
| 1973 | 4.75 | +48.5% |
| 1974 | 4.75 | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 5.17 | +8.9% |
| 1976 | 5.45 | +5.6% |
| 1977 | 4.45 | -18.4% |
| 1978 | 4.53 | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 4.47 | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 4.23 | -5.3% |
| 1981 | 4.44 | +4.9% |
| 1982 | 4.53 | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 4.05 | -10.7% |
| 1985 | 3.55 | -12.3% |
| 1986 | 3.43 | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 3.92 | +14.2% |
| 1988 | 4.43 | +13.0% |
| 1989 | 4.82 | +8.9% |
| 1993 | 7.3 | +51.5% |
| 1994 | 5.93 | -18.8% |
| 1995 | 5.74 | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 6.38 | +11.2% |
| 1997 | 6.16 | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 6.64 | +7.8% |
| 2000 | 5.6 | -15.5% |
| 2013 | 5.89 | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 5.8 | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 5.7 | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 5.5 | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 5.28 | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 5.19 | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 5.17 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 5.64 | +9.1% |
| 2021 | 5.54 | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 5.17 | -6.7% |
| 2023 | 5.21 | +0.9% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 5.21 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4, 1.2× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 5.21 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.25, 1.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Education spending in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +51.5% | 4.82 | 7.3 |
| 1973 | +48.5% | 3.2 | 4.75 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 1 |
| 1960s | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 1 |
| 1970s | 4.8 | 4.45 | 5.45 | 7 |
| 1980s | 4.15 | 3.43 | 4.82 | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.36 | 5.74 | 7.3 | 6 |
| 2000s | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 1 |
| 2010s | 5.5 | 5.17 | 5.89 | 7 |
| 2020s | 5.39 | 5.17 | 5.64 | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More education data for New Zealand
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 97.48 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 97.38 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36,426 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 12,020 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 56,552 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 53,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 562,417 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 383,018 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is education spending in New Zealand?
- Education spending in New Zealand was 5.21 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest education spending recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3 in 1993.
- What is the lowest education spending recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3 in 1937.
- How does New Zealand rank for education spending?
- New Zealand ranks 55th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is education spending rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Education spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).