Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in New Zealand

New Zealand: Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP was 2.3% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
2.3%
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
19th
of 152 countries
All-time high
2.6%
in 1996
All-time low
1.0%
in 1986
Years of data
25
1973–2017

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in New Zealand, 1973–2017

01231973199520171973: 1.4 %1974: 1.4 %1975: 1.6 %1976: 1.5 %1977: 1.4 %1978: 1.5 %1979: 1.5 %1980: 1.1 %1981: 1.3 %1982: 1.2 %1984: 1.2 %1985: 1.1 %1986: 1 %1987: 1.2 %1988: 1.3 %1989: 1.3 %1994: 2.5 %1995: 2.4 %1996: 2.6 %1997: 2.5 %2013: 2.5 %2014: 2.4 %2015: 2.3 %2016: 2.3 %2017: 2.3 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2017, government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in New Zealand stood at 2.3%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 10.3% over five years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in New Zealand peaked at 2.6% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1986.

New Zealand ranks 19th of 152 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%) in New Zealand, 1973 to 2017.
Year % Change
1973 1.4%
1974 1.4% -2.9%
1975 1.6% +18.8%
1976 1.5% -7.6%
1977 1.4% -4.9%
1978 1.5% +2.5%
1979 1.5% +2.3%
1980 1.1% -27.0%
1981 1.3% +21.3%
1982 1.2% -8.2%
1984 1.2% -6.2%
1985 1.1% -8.7%
1986 1.0% -5.0%
1987 1.2% +17.5%
1988 1.3% +10.5%
1989 1.3% -3.5%
1994 2.5% +102.0%
1995 2.4% -7.1%
1996 2.6% +8.6%
1997 2.5% -3.5%
2013 2.5% +2.6%
2014 2.4% -4.2%
2015 2.3% -3.6%
2016 2.3% -2.2%
2017 2.3% -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.5% 1.4% 1.6% 7
1980s 1.2% 1.0% 1.3% 9
1990s 2.5% 2.4% 2.6% 4
2010s 2.4% 2.3% 2.5% 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 16 Oman 2.4% compare
  2. 17 France 2.3% compare
  3. 18 Finland 2.3% compare
  4. 20 Viet Nam 2.2% compare
  5. 21 Portugal 2.2% compare
  6. 22 Norway 2.2% compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in New Zealand?
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in New Zealand was 2.3% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 1996.
What is the lowest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1986.
How does New Zealand rank for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp?
New Zealand ranks 19th out of 152 countries with data for 2017.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-secondary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
152 places, 2,921 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on secondary 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/