Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand
New Zealand: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand, 1973–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand stood at 1.3%.
That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand peaked at 1.9% in 1976 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2019.
That places New Zealand 78th out of 162 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 1.7% | — |
| 1974 | 1.7% | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | +8.4% |
| 1976 | 1.9% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | -17.2% |
| 1978 | 1.6% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 1.6% | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 1.6% | -3.6% |
| 1981 | 1.6% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | +6.0% |
| 1984 | 1.6% | -6.0% |
| 1985 | 1.4% | -12.9% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | -6.8% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | +9.2% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | +9.9% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | -7.5% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | +19.7% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | -17.4% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | -7.7% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +10.2% |
| 2021 | 1.3% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | +4.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 1.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.1%, 1.2× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 1.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.3%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 7 |
| 1980s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 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 primary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand was 1.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 1976.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2019.
- How does New Zealand rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- New Zealand ranks 78th out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. 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 Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release