Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand
New Zealand: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 5.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
5.2%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
38th
of 185 countries
All-time high
6.6%
in 1999
All-time low
3.4%
in 1986
Years of data
33
1973–2023
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand, 1973–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 5.2% for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand peaked at 6.6% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 1986.
New Zealand ranks 38th of 185 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 4.8% | — |
| 1974 | 4.7% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 5.2% | +8.9% |
| 1976 | 5.5% | +5.6% |
| 1977 | 4.5% | -18.4% |
| 1978 | 4.5% | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 4.5% | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 4.2% | -5.3% |
| 1981 | 4.4% | +4.9% |
| 1982 | 4.5% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 4.0% | -10.7% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | -12.3% |
| 1986 | 3.4% | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 3.9% | +14.2% |
| 1988 | 4.4% | +13.0% |
| 1989 | 4.8% | +8.9% |
| 1994 | 5.9% | +23.0% |
| 1995 | 5.7% | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 6.4% | +11.2% |
| 1997 | 6.2% | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 6.6% | +7.8% |
| 2000 | 5.6% | -15.5% |
| 2013 | 5.9% | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 5.8% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 5.7% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 5.5% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 5.3% | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 5.2% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 5.7% | +9.1% |
| 2021 | 5.5% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 5.2% | -5.7% |
| 2023 | 5.2% | -0.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 5.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.2× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 5.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.7%, 1.4× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.8% | 4.5% | 5.5% | 7 |
| 1980s | 4.2% | 3.4% | 4.8% | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.2% | 5.7% | 6.6% | 5 |
| 2000s | 5.6% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 5.2% | 5.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.2% | 5.7% | 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 initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand was 5.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 1999.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 1986.
- How does New Zealand rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- New Zealand ranks 38th out of 185 countries with data for 2023.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.5%. 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 Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release