Australia vs New Zealand: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education

Australia
12.6%
in 2022
New Zealand
12.7%
in 2023
Australia rank
98th
New Zealand rank
96th

Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education over time

  • Australia
  • New Zealand
051015198520042023

How they compare

New Zealand currently reports 12.7% against 12.6% in Australia, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 6 shared years of data; in 1988 it was Australia ahead.

Australia ranks 98th and New Zealand ranks 96th of 194 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 2 and New Zealand in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia New Zealand Difference Ahead
1980s 13.3% 9.9% 3.4% Australia
1990s 14.3% 14.1% 0.2% Australia
2020s 12.3% 13.2% 0.9% New Zealand

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education, Australia or New Zealand?
New Zealand, at 12.7% against 12.6% in Australia as of 2023.
What is the difference in share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education between Australia and New Zealand?
0.1%, with New Zealand ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
6 years are reported by both, from 1988 to 2022.
How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
Australia ranks 98th and New Zealand ranks 96th of 194 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia vs New Zealand: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/share-edu-spending-gdp-vs-share-edu-total-spending/australia/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,043 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.