Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 24.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
24.9%
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
41st
of 184 countries
All-time high
25.5%
in 2021
All-time low
13.7%
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in New Zealand, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 24.9% for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and up 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in New Zealand peaked at 25.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 13.7%, in 1950.
New Zealand ranks 41st of 184 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 13.7% | — |
| 1951 | 16.7% | +21.6% |
| 1952 | 17.0% | +1.9% |
| 1953 | 16.9% | -0.6% |
| 1954 | 14.9% | -12.0% |
| 1955 | 15.6% | +5.0% |
| 1956 | 16.4% | +4.8% |
| 1957 | 16.3% | -0.5% |
| 1958 | 16.0% | -1.8% |
| 1959 | 15.8% | -1.5% |
| 1960 | 16.3% | +3.2% |
| 1961 | 15.9% | -2.5% |
| 1962 | 16.1% | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 15.8% | -2.4% |
| 1964 | 15.8% | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 16.4% | +4.0% |
| 1966 | 17.3% | +5.2% |
| 1967 | 17.5% | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 18.1% | +3.7% |
| 1969 | 16.7% | -7.6% |
| 1970 | 18.0% | +7.3% |
| 1971 | 18.1% | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 18.4% | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 17.8% | -3.2% |
| 1974 | 19.0% | +6.4% |
| 1975 | 20.4% | +7.5% |
| 1976 | 19.7% | -3.7% |
| 1977 | 21.3% | +8.4% |
| 1978 | 22.4% | +5.1% |
| 1979 | 22.1% | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 22.4% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 22.4% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 22.3% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 21.4% | -4.3% |
| 1984 | 20.7% | -3.3% |
| 1985 | 21.1% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 20.2% | -4.5% |
| 1987 | 19.7% | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 18.8% | -4.9% |
| 1989 | 19.6% | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 18.6% | -4.9% |
| 1991 | 18.8% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 18.5% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 17.5% | -5.2% |
| 1994 | 16.3% | -6.7% |
| 1995 | 15.9% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 14.9% | -6.0% |
| 1997 | 15.7% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 16.0% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 15.9% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 15.9% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 16.0% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 15.8% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 16.1% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 16.5% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 17.7% | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 18.9% | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 19.3% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 21.0% | +8.7% |
| 2009 | 20.5% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 19.9% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 20.2% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 19.3% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 19.6% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 20.2% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 20.2% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 20.8% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 22.1% | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 22.2% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 23.7% | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 25.5% | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 25.5% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 24.9% | -2.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 24.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 21.2%, 1.2× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 24.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 17.6%, 1.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 15.9% | 13.7% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 16.6% | 15.8% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 19.7% | 17.8% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.8% | 18.8% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.8% | 14.9% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.8% | 15.8% | 21.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.5% | 19.3% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.9% | 23.7% | 25.5% | 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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 23.86 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0001 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 4.48 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 3.61 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 104.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0137 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 677.46 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 27.59 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in New Zealand?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in New Zealand was 24.9% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 25.5% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.7% in 1950.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- New Zealand ranks 41st out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.