Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand
New Zealand: Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand, 1973–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 0.3% for government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand peaked at 0.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1973.
That places New Zealand 69th out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 0.0% | — |
| 1974 | 0.0% | +16.3% |
| 1975 | 0.1% | +26.6% |
| 1976 | 0.1% | +47.2% |
| 1977 | 0.1% | -24.3% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | +14.3% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | +6.0% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -9.3% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | +5.4% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | -11.0% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | -9.9% |
| 1986 | 0.0% | -6.2% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | +51.2% |
| 1988 | 0.1% | +13.7% |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +12.9% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | +167.3% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | -8.3% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | +11.5% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | -11.7% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -31.1% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | +167.4% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -5.5% |
| 2022 | 0.3% | -7.7% |
| 2023 | 0.3% | +2.5% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 0.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 87% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 0.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2%, 1.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP 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 | +167.3% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2013 | +167.4% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 7 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 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 government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand?
- Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand was 0.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4% in 2014.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1973.
- How does New Zealand rank for government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- New Zealand ranks 69th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release