Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in New Zealand
New Zealand: Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of was 24.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in New Zealand, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in New Zealand is 24.4%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in New Zealand peaked at 30.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 24.4%, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 64th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 28.2% | — |
| 2013 | 28.6% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 27.8% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 26.4% | -5.2% |
| 2016 | 25.6% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 25.7% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 26.8% | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 26.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 30.2% | +12.9% |
| 2021 | 26.5% | -12.4% |
| 2022 | 24.8% | -6.4% |
| 2023 | 24.4% | -1.6% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 24.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 24.4%, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 24.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 18.1%, 1.3× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 28.2% | 28.2% | 28.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 26.8% | 25.6% | 28.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 26.5% | 24.4% | 30.2% | 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 tertiary student as a percentage of in New Zealand?
- Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in New Zealand was 24.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 30.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.4% in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of?
- New Zealand ranks 64th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. 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 Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release