Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand
New Zealand: Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP was 18.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand, 1997–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 18.3% for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in 2023. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 5.8% on the previous year and up 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand peaked at 18.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 14.6%, in 2000.
That places New Zealand 40th out of 127 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 17.4% | — |
| 2000 | 14.6% | -16.2% |
| 2013 | 15.8% | +8.1% |
| 2014 | 15.7% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 15.8% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 15.6% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 15.2% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 15.3% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 15.5% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 17.5% | +12.9% |
| 2021 | 17.8% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 17.3% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 18.3% | +5.8% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 18.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 18.3%, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 18.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.3%, 1.4× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.4% | 17.4% | 17.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 14.6% | 14.6% | 14.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 15.6% | 15.2% | 15.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 17.8% | 17.3% | 18.3% | 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 initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand?
- Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand was 18.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.6% in 2000.
- How does New Zealand rank for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp?
- New Zealand ranks 40th out of 127 countries with data for 2023.
- Is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.1%. 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 funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release