Proportion of total government spending on essential services in New Zealand
New Zealand: Proportion of total government spending on essential services was 12.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in New Zealand, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2023, proportion of total government spending on essential services in New Zealand stood at 12.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services in New Zealand peaked at 15.6% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 12.6%, in 2022.
That places New Zealand 81st out of 170 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.8% | — |
| 2013 | 15.6% | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 15.5% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 15.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 15.4% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 15.0% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 14.6% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 13.5% | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 13.6% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 13.5% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 12.6% | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 12.7% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.8% | 14.8% | 14.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 15.0% | 13.5% | 15.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 12.6% | 13.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More education data for New Zealand
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 383,018 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.15 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of total government spending on essential services in New Zealand?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services in New Zealand was 12.7% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 15.6% in 2013.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.6% in 2022.
- How does New Zealand rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services?
- New Zealand ranks 81st out of 170 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, education [UIS methodology] (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).