Social spending as share of GDP in New Zealand
New Zealand: Social spending as share of GDP was 2.4% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Social spending as share of GDP in New Zealand, 1980–2022
Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, social spending as share of gdp in New Zealand stood at 2.4%.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 34.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in New Zealand peaked at 2.6% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2004.
That places New Zealand 2nd out of 42 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Social spending as share of GDP in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.5% | — |
| 1981 | 0.5% | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 0.4% | -3.9% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 0.4% | -5.5% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | +8.7% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -7.1% |
| 1987 | 0.8% | +79.1% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | +14.7% |
| 1989 | 1.1% | +22.5% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | -78.3% |
| 1991 | 0.2% | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | +5.5% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | +35.6% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | -23.5% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | +14.7% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | +22.7% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 0.4% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | -12.6% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | -20.6% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -16.8% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -11.8% |
| 2005 | 1.4% | +560.5% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | +57.6% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +18.5% |
| 2009 | 2.0% | -22.7% |
| 2010 | 2.1% | +7.0% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -18.6% |
| 2012 | 1.8% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | -6.6% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | +20.2% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | -22.5% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | +7.9% |
| 2020 | 1.9% | +19.1% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | +26.4% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | +0.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 2.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 4.6× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Social spending as share of GDP in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +560.5% | 0.2% | 1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.2% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 1 Canada 2.4% compare
- 3 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.6% compare
- 4 Italy 1.6% compare
- 5 Netherlands 1.4% compare
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 social spending as share of gdp in New Zealand?
- Social spending as share of gdp in New Zealand was 2.4% in 2022, according to OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest social spending as share of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 2008.
- What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2004.
- How does New Zealand rank for social spending as share of gdp?
- New Zealand ranks 2nd out of 42 countries with data for 2022.
- Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in other social policy programs.