Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand
New Zealand: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 12.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand, 1980–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand is 12.7%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand peaked at 16.2% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1980.
New Zealand ranks 96th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.0% | — |
| 1981 | 0.0% | — |
| 1982 | 0.0% | — |
| 1984 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | 8.2% | — |
| 1986 | 8.1% | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 8.9% | +9.7% |
| 1988 | 9.7% | +9.3% |
| 1989 | 10.1% | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 14.1% | +38.9% |
| 1995 | 14.0% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 16.1% | +15.0% |
| 1997 | 15.8% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 16.2% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 14.8% | -8.7% |
| 2013 | 15.6% | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 15.5% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 15.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 15.4% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 15.0% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 14.6% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 13.5% | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 13.6% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 13.5% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 12.6% | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 12.7% | +0.9% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 12.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.1× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 12.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.3%, 1.0× the median. (31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +38.9% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.0% | 0.0% | 10.1% | 9 |
| 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 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 12.7% in 2023, 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 16.2% in 1999.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1980.
- How does New Zealand rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- New Zealand ranks 96th out of 197 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government 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, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release