Government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of GDP in New Zealand

New Zealand: Government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of GDP was 0.5% in 2017. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2017)
0.5%
Change on year
down 4.9%
World rank
39th
of 156 countries
All-time high
0.5%
in 2011
All-time low
0.0%
in 1973
Years of data
39
1973–2017

Government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of GDP in New Zealand, 1973–2017

00.10.20.30.40.51973199520171973: 0.035 %1974: 0.04 %1975: 0.051 %1976: 0.075 %1977: 0.057 %1978: 0.065 %1979: 0.069 %1980: 0.062 %1981: 0.061 %1982: 0.064 %1984: 0.057 %1985: 0.052 %1986: 0.049 %1987: 0.073 %1988: 0.083 %1989: 0.094 %1994: 0.252 %1995: 0.231 %1996: 0.257 %1997: 0.248 %1999: 0.219 %2000: 0.198 %2001: 0.185 %2002: 0.172 %2003: 0.196 %2004: 0.188 %2005: 0.205 %2006: 0.222 %2007: 0.233 %2008: 0.335 %2009: 0.435 %2010: 0.467 %2011: 0.511 %2012: 0.494 %2013: 0.47 %2014: 0.439 %2015: 0.481 %2016: 0.483 %2017: 0.46 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2017, government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of gdp in New Zealand stood at 0.5%.

That represents a change of down 4.9% on the previous year and up 97.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of gdp in New Zealand peaked at 0.5% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1973.

That places New Zealand 39th out of 156 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of GDP in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of GDP (%) in New Zealand, 1973 to 2017.
Year % Change
1973 0.0%
1974 0.0% +16.3%
1975 0.1% +26.6%
1976 0.1% +47.2%
1977 0.1% -24.3%
1978 0.1% +14.3%
1979 0.1% +6.0%
1980 0.1% -9.3%
1981 0.1% -2.1%
1982 0.1% +5.4%
1984 0.1% -11.0%
1985 0.1% -9.9%
1986 0.0% -6.2%
1987 0.1% +51.2%
1988 0.1% +13.7%
1989 0.1% +12.9%
1994 0.3% +167.3%
1995 0.2% -8.3%
1996 0.3% +11.5%
1997 0.2% -3.7%
1999 0.2% -11.7%
2000 0.2% -9.3%
2001 0.2% -6.7%
2002 0.2% -6.7%
2003 0.2% +13.6%
2004 0.2% -4.2%
2005 0.2% +9.1%
2006 0.2% +8.3%
2007 0.2% +5.1%
2008 0.3% +44.0%
2009 0.4% +29.6%
2010 0.5% +7.5%
2011 0.5% +9.3%
2012 0.5% -3.2%
2013 0.5% -4.8%
2014 0.4% -6.7%
2015 0.5% +9.5%
2016 0.5% +0.5%
2017 0.5% -4.9%

New Zealand compared with similar countries

  • New Zealand's 0.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 1.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • New Zealand's 0.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1%, 4.6× the median. (19 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Government expenditure on pre-primary education as % 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.

YearChange FromTo
1994 +167.3% 0.1% 0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 7
1980s 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 9
1990s 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 5
2000s 0.2% 0.2% 0.4% 10
2010s 0.5% 0.4% 0.5% 8

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 36 Argentina 0.5% compare
  2. 37 Luxembourg 0.5% compare
  3. 38 Italy 0.5% compare
  4. 40 Puerto Rico 0.4% compare
  5. 41 Spain 0.4% compare
  6. 42 Maldives 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 156 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of gdp in New Zealand?
Government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of gdp in New Zealand was 0.5% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 0.5% in 2011.
What is the lowest government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1973.
How does New Zealand rank for government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of gdp?
New Zealand ranks 39th out of 156 countries with data for 2017.
Is government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of gdp rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 97.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of GDP in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-pre-primary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on pre-primary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
156 places, 3,016 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on pre-primary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/