Military spending in New Zealand
New Zealand: Military spending was 2.89 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military spending in New Zealand, 1956–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2024 US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending in New Zealand is 2.89 billion constant 2024 US$, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and up 47.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending in New Zealand peaked at 3.18 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.13 billion constant 2024 US$, in 1962.
That places New Zealand 58th out of 162 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 70 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.20 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.17 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.23 billion constant 2024 US$ | 4 |
| 1960s | 1.37 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.13 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.65 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.74 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.67 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.82 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.30 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.14 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.52 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.10 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.01 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.34 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.96 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.80 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.09 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.19 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.90 billion constant 2024 US$ | 3.09 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.00 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.89 billion constant 2024 US$ | 3.18 billion constant 2024 US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 55 Argentina 3.73 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
- 56 Bangladesh 3.66 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
- 57 South Africa 3.00 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
- 59 Slovakia 2.87 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
- 60 Sudan 2.77 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
- 61 Lithuania 2.73 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.76 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0464 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2008 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Consumer price index 144.86 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5251 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.5536 °C (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending in New Zealand?
- Military spending in New Zealand was 2.89 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 3.18 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2020.
- What is the lowest military spending recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.13 billion constant 2024 US$ in 1962.
- How does New Zealand rank for military spending?
- New Zealand ranks 58th out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 70 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.