Military spending as a share of GDP in New Zealand
New Zealand: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.3% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.3%
Change on year
up 14.8%
World rank
88th
of 172 countries
All-time high
24.4%
in 1944
All-time low
0.0%
in 1930
Years of data
100
1920–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in New Zealand, 1920–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2019, military spending as a share of gdp in New Zealand stood at 1.3%.
That represents a change of up 14.8% on the previous year and up 44.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in New Zealand peaked at 24.4% in 1944 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1930.
New Zealand ranks 88th of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 0.2% | — |
| 1921 | 0.3% | +43.7% |
| 1922 | 0.4% | +12.3% |
| 1923 | 0.4% | -5.5% |
| 1924 | 0.3% | -11.3% |
| 1925 | 0.3% | +9.9% |
| 1926 | 0.4% | +3.8% |
| 1927 | 0.3% | -3.6% |
| 1928 | 0.0% | -94.2% |
| 1929 | 0.0% | -5.3% |
| 1930 | 0.0% | -3.9% |
| 1931 | 0.0% | +11.8% |
| 1932 | 0.0% | +7.2% |
| 1933 | 0.0% | -1.1% |
| 1934 | 0.4% | +1829.2% |
| 1935 | 0.4% | -0.1% |
| 1936 | 0.5% | +10.9% |
| 1937 | 0.5% | +15.4% |
| 1938 | 0.6% | +15.5% |
| 1939 | 0.5% | -21.9% |
| 1940 | 0.7% | +36.3% |
| 1941 | 7.9% | +1100.8% |
| 1942 | 12.7% | +61.3% |
| 1943 | 21.2% | +66.2% |
| 1944 | 24.4% | +15.5% |
| 1945 | 13.6% | -44.2% |
| 1946 | 7.3% | -46.4% |
| 1947 | 1.6% | -78.3% |
| 1948 | 1.3% | -15.5% |
| 1949 | 1.2% | -10.3% |
| 1950 | 1.0% | -14.4% |
| 1951 | 1.2% | +15.4% |
| 1952 | 1.7% | +42.4% |
| 1953 | 1.8% | +7.7% |
| 1954 | 1.8% | -3.1% |
| 1955 | 1.5% | -14.5% |
| 1956 | 1.6% | +9.4% |
| 1957 | 1.6% | -5.8% |
| 1958 | 1.6% | +2.3% |
| 1959 | 1.3% | -15.8% |
| 1960 | 1.3% | -2.1% |
| 1961 | 1.2% | -4.9% |
| 1962 | 1.2% | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 1.2% | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 1.2% | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 1.3% | +7.3% |
| 1966 | 1.3% | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 1.3% | -5.3% |
| 1968 | 1.2% | -9.8% |
| 1969 | 1.1% | -6.7% |
| 1970 | 1.1% | +5.2% |
| 1971 | 1.1% | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 1.1% | -3.1% |
| 1973 | 1.0% | -6.2% |
| 1974 | 1.1% | +8.8% |
| 1975 | 1.1% | -5.1% |
| 1976 | 1.0% | -4.5% |
| 1977 | 1.0% | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 1.1% | +11.3% |
| 1979 | 1.2% | +8.6% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | +4.0% |
| 1981 | 1.2% | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 1.3% | +4.4% |
| 1983 | 1.2% | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 1.2% | -3.9% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | +5.8% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | +9.1% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | -4.2% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | -11.2% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | -6.4% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | -8.9% |
| 1997 | 1.1% | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 1.1% | -4.7% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | -7.2% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -7.9% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | -12.1% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | +14.4% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +8.0% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | -8.1% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +10.3% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | +13.0% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | +5.8% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +7.4% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -11.3% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +14.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1940s | 9.2% | 0.7% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More economy & growth data for New Zealand
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.71 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.37 Percent per annum (2029)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 33,643 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 0.5121 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.01 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 49,980 current US$ per person (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1.67 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 82,583 current LCU per person (2024)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -0.7819 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in New Zealand?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in New Zealand was 1.3% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 24.4% in 1944.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1930.
- How does New Zealand rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- New Zealand ranks 88th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 100 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).