Statizoid

Competitive elections in New Zealand

New Zealand: Competitive elections was 1 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
1
in 1865
All-time low
0
in 1841
Years of data
185
1841–2025

Competitive elections in New Zealand, 1841–2025

00.20.40.60.81184119332025

Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, competitive elections in New Zealand stood at 1. That is the highest value across all 185 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, competitive elections in New Zealand peaked at 1 in 1865 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1841.

That places New Zealand 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 185 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1840s 0 0 0 9
1850s 0 0 0 10
1860s 0.5 0 1 10
1870s 1 1 1 10
1880s 1 1 1 10
1890s 1 1 1 10
1900s 1 1 1 10
1910s 1 1 1 10
1920s 1 1 1 10
1930s 1 1 1 10
1940s 1 1 1 10
1950s 1 1 1 10
1960s 1 1 1 10
1970s 1 1 1 10
1980s 1 1 1 10
1990s 1 1 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

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See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is competitive elections in New Zealand?
Competitive elections in New Zealand was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest competitive elections recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 1 in 1865.
What is the lowest competitive elections recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1841.
How does New Zealand rank for competitive elections?
New Zealand ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is competitive elections rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Competitive elections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 185 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Competitive elections
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Whether the outcomes of elections are uncertain because their timing is not violated, voters are not systematically coerced, and election fraud is not consequential.