New Zealand vs Portugal: Government spending as share of GDP
New Zealand
41.9%
in 2024
Portugal
42.8%
in 2024
New Zealand rank
38th
Portugal rank
36th
Government spending as share of GDP over time
- New Zealand
- Portugal
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 42.8% against 41.9% in New Zealand, a difference of 0.9%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 142 shared years of data; in 1880 it was New Zealand ahead.
New Zealand ranks 38th and Portugal ranks 36th of 151 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 12 and Portugal in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | Portugal | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 13.5% | 7.0% | 6.5% | New Zealand |
| 1890s | 13.6% | 7.2% | 6.3% | New Zealand |
| 1900s | 13.2% | 7.8% | 5.5% | New Zealand |
| 1910s | 13.3% | 10.3% | 3.0% | New Zealand |
| 1920s | 16.5% | 11.3% | 5.2% | New Zealand |
| 1930s | 18.1% | 8.8% | 9.3% | New Zealand |
| 1940s | 18.7% | 10.1% | 8.6% | New Zealand |
| 1950s | 20.4% | 10.2% | 10.2% | New Zealand |
| 1960s | 23.5% | 14.3% | 9.2% | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 29.9% | 27.3% | 2.6% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 43.2% | 35.9% | 7.3% | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 44.5% | 41.6% | 2.9% | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 37.6% | 44.4% | 6.8% | Portugal |
| 2010s | 38.5% | 47.6% | 9.1% | Portugal |
| 2020s | 41.8% | 45.1% | 3.3% | Portugal |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending as share of gdp, New Zealand or Portugal?
- Portugal, at 42.8% against 41.9% in New Zealand as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp between New Zealand and Portugal?
- 0.9%, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and Portugal?
- 142 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2024.
- How do New Zealand and Portugal rank globally for government spending as share of gdp?
- New Zealand ranks 38th and Portugal ranks 36th of 151 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.