Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand
New Zealand: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 13.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand, 2000–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 13.1% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.0% on the previous year and down 21.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand peaked at 20.6% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 13.1%, in 2022.
That places New Zealand 52nd out of 123 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.2% | — |
| 2004 | 20.6% | +27.0% |
| 2005 | 20.2% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 18.6% | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 16.7% | -10.1% |
| 2009 | 16.5% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 16.8% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 14.7% | -12.4% |
| 2012 | 16.6% | +13.2% |
| 2013 | 16.3% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 16.4% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 16.6% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 16.5% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 16.2% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 15.8% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 15.9% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 14.4% | -9.0% |
| 2021 | 14.3% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 13.1% | -8.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 13.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.2%, 1.2× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 13.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.3%, 98% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | +27.0% | 16.2% | 20.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.1% | 16.2% | 20.6% | 6 |
| 2010s | 16.2% | 14.7% | 16.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.0% | 13.1% | 14.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More education data for New Zealand
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0724 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand was 13.1% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 2004.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.1% in 2022.
- How does New Zealand rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- New Zealand ranks 52nd out of 123 countries with data for 2022.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release