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Military spending as a share of government spending in New Zealand

New Zealand: Military spending as a share of government spending was 2.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
2.7%
Change on year
down 4.2%
World rank
134th
of 162 countries
All-time high
4.7%
in 1990
All-time low
2.6%
in 2014
Years of data
38
1988–2025

Military spending as a share of government spending in New Zealand, 1988–2025

0123451988200620251988: 4.6 % of government spending1989: 4.5 % of government spending1990: 4.7 % of government spending1991: 4.3 % of government spending1992: 4 % of government spending1993: 4.1 % of government spending1994: 4.3 % of government spending1995: 4.4 % of government spending1996: 4.5 % of government spending1997: 4.4 % of government spending1998: 4.3 % of government spending1999: 4.2 % of government spending2000: 4.2 % of government spending2001: 4 % of government spending2002: 3.8 % of government spending2003: 3.6 % of government spending2004: 3.3 % of government spending2005: 3.1 % of government spending2006: 3.3 % of government spending2007: 3.2 % of government spending2008: 3 % of government spending2009: 3 % of government spending2010: 2.8 % of government spending2011: 2.7 % of government spending2012: 2.8 % of government spending2013: 2.7 % of government spending2014: 2.6 % of government spending2015: 2.7 % of government spending2016: 2.8 % of government spending2017: 3 % of government spending2018: 3.1 % of government spending2019: 3.3 % of government spending2020: 3.2 % of government spending2021: 2.8 % of government spending2022: 2.8 % of government spending2023: 2.9 % of government spending2024: 2.8 % of government spending2025: 2.7 % of government spending

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government spending.

Analysis

In 2025, military spending as a share of government spending in New Zealand stood at 2.7%.

The figure is down 4.2% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending as a share of government spending in New Zealand peaked at 4.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2014.

That places New Zealand 134th out of 162 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.

Military spending as a share of government spending in New Zealand, year by year

Year % of government spending Change
1988 4.6% —
1989 4.5% -0.8%
1990 4.7% +2.6%
1991 4.3% -7.9%
1992 4.0% -7.2%
1993 4.1% +3.6%
1994 4.3% +4.8%
1995 4.4% +2.2%
1996 4.5% +1.5%
1997 4.4% -2.8%
1998 4.3% -2.5%
1999 4.2% -1.5%
2000 4.2% -0.7%
2001 4.0% -3.3%
2002 3.8% -5.5%
2003 3.6% -5.0%
2004 3.3% -10.1%
2005 3.1% -5.6%
2006 3.3% +6.7%
2007 3.2% -2.7%
2008 3.0% -6.3%
2009 3.0% +0.9%
2010 2.8% -6.8%
2011 2.7% -2.5%
2012 2.8% +2.4%
2013 2.7% -3.7%
2014 2.6% -2.0%
2015 2.7% +0.2%
2016 2.8% +7.0%
2017 3.0% +4.0%
2018 3.1% +3.7%
2019 3.3% +8.8%
2020 3.2% -4.5%
2021 2.8% -12.7%
2022 2.8% -0.4%
2023 2.9% +4.9%
2024 2.8% -4.4%
2025 2.7% -4.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4.6% 4.5% 4.6% 2
1990s 4.3% 4.0% 4.7% 10
2000s 3.4% 3.0% 4.2% 10
2010s 2.9% 2.6% 3.3% 10
2020s 2.8% 2.7% 3.2% 6

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 131 Slovenia 3.2% compare
  2. 132 Bolivia 3.2% compare
  3. 133 Lesotho 2.7% compare
  4. 135 Mexico 2.5% compare
  5. 136 Trinidad and Tobago 2.5% compare
  6. 137 Sierra Leone 2.5% compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending as a share of government spending in New Zealand?
Military spending as a share of government spending in New Zealand was 2.7% in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending as a share of government spending recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 4.7% in 1990.
What is the lowest military spending as a share of government spending recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2014.
How does New Zealand rank for military spending as a share of government spending?
New Zealand ranks 134th out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
Is military spending as a share of government spending rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military spending as a share of government spending in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-as-a-share-of-government-spending/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Military spending as a share of government spending
Unit
% of government spending
Source
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
162 places, 4,946 data points, 1988–2025
Last refreshed

Total military expenditure divided by government spending.