Tax revenue as share of GDP in New Zealand
New Zealand: Tax revenue as share of GDP was 34.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
34.7%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
28th
of 192 countries
All-time high
37.6%
in 1989
All-time low
30.6%
in 2011
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Tax revenue as share of GDP in New Zealand, 1980–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 34.7% for tax revenue as share of gdp in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp in New Zealand peaked at 37.6% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 30.6%, in 2011.
That places New Zealand 28th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 32.8% | — |
| 1981 | 35.0% | +6.9% |
| 1982 | 35.2% | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 33.5% | -4.8% |
| 1984 | 33.0% | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 33.6% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 35.4% | +5.2% |
| 1987 | 36.6% | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 34.9% | -4.6% |
| 1989 | 37.6% | +7.7% |
| 1990 | 35.8% | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 35.1% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 35.7% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 36.2% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 36.5% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 36.6% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 34.3% | -6.2% |
| 1997 | 34.2% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 33.0% | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 33.3% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 33.6% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 32.9% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 34.1% | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 34.6% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 35.0% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 36.9% | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 36.7% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 35.0% | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 32.9% | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 31.0% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 30.9% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 30.6% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 32.1% | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 31.7% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 31.8% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 32.4% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 32.4% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 32.3% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 33.0% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 31.2% | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 35.7% | +14.7% |
| 2021 | 35.6% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 34.3% | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 34.7% | +1.2% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 34.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 29.8%, 1.2× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 34.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 18.1%, 1.9× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 34.8% | 32.8% | 37.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.1% | 33.0% | 36.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.3% | 31.0% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.8% | 30.6% | 33.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.1% | 34.3% | 35.7% | 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 tax revenue as share of gdp in New Zealand?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp in New Zealand was 34.7% in 2023, according to UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 37.6% in 1989.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.6% in 2011.
- How does New Zealand rank for tax revenue as share of gdp?
- New Zealand ranks 28th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Tax revenue as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Direct and indirect taxes as well as social contributions included.