Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education was 12.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand, 1985–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand is 12.7%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand peaked at 16.2% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 1986.
That places New Zealand 96th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 8.2% | — |
| 1986 | 8.1% | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 8.9% | +9.7% |
| 1988 | 9.7% | +9.3% |
| 1989 | 10.1% | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 14.1% | +38.9% |
| 1995 | 14.0% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 16.1% | +15.0% |
| 1997 | 15.8% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 16.2% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 14.8% | -8.7% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.0% | 8.1% | 10.1% | 5 |
| 1990s | 15.2% | 14.0% | 16.2% | 5 |
| 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 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)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 2.74 % change on previous year (2023)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9168 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 45,199 current US$ per person (2023)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 6.08 % change on previous year (2023)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1.49 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 73,604 current LCU per person (2023)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual -0.7477 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.768 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand?
- Share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in New Zealand was 12.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 16.2% in 1999.
- What is the lowest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 1986.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- New Zealand ranks 96th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education 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 rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.