Political Polarization Score in New Zealand
New Zealand: Political Polarization Score was -1.42 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
-1.42
Change on year
down 77.0%
World rank
148th
of 174 countries
All-time high
-0.803
in 2024
All-time low
-2.62
in 2018
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Political Polarization Score in New Zealand, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded -1.42 for political polarization score in 2025.
The figure is down 77.0% on the previous year and up 45.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political polarization score in New Zealand peaked at -0.803 in 2024 and was at its lowest, -2.62, in 2018.
New Zealand ranks 148th of 174 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Political Polarization Score in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | -2.56 | — |
| 1901 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -1.57 | -38.5% |
| 1952 | -2.57 | +63.2% |
| 1953 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -2.57 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -1.86 | -27.6% |
| 1974 | -1.86 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -1.86 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -1.86 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -1.86 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -1.86 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -1.86 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -1.86 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -1.18 | -36.8% |
| 1982 | -1.86 | +58.4% |
| 1983 | -1.86 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -2.61 | +40.3% |
| 1985 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -2.61 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -1.76 | -32.8% |
| 2018 | -2.62 | +49.0% |
| 2019 | -2.38 | -9.2% |
| 2020 | -2.38 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | -1.67 | -29.9% |
| 2022 | -1.17 | -30.0% |
| 2023 | -1.16 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | -0.803 | -30.5% |
| 2025 | -1.42 | +77.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's -1.42 is below the median for high income countries, which is -0.532, 2.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's -1.42 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is -0.7055, 2.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -2.56 | -2.56 | -2.56 | 10 |
| 1910s | -2.56 | -2.56 | -2.56 | 10 |
| 1920s | -2.56 | -2.56 | -2.56 | 10 |
| 1930s | -2.56 | -2.56 | -2.56 | 10 |
| 1940s | -2.56 | -2.56 | -2.56 | 10 |
| 1950s | -2.47 | -2.57 | -1.57 | 10 |
| 1960s | -2.57 | -2.57 | -2.57 | 10 |
| 1970s | -2.07 | -2.57 | -1.86 | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.24 | -2.61 | -1.18 | 10 |
| 1990s | -2.61 | -2.61 | -2.61 | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.61 | -2.61 | -2.61 | 10 |
| 2010s | -2.5 | -2.62 | -1.76 | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.43 | -2.38 | -0.803 | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 145 Paraguay -1.27 compare
- 146 Latvia -1.35 compare
- 147 Mauritania -1.4 compare
- 149 Uzbekistan -1.43 compare
- 150 United Arab Emirates -1.46 compare
- 151 Iceland -1.47 compare
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political polarization score in New Zealand?
- Political polarization score in New Zealand was -1.42 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political polarization score recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was -0.803 in 2024.
- What is the lowest political polarization score recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.62 in 2018.
- How does New Zealand rank for political polarization score?
- New Zealand ranks 148th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political polarization score rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Polarization Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which society is divided into hostile political camps, where political differences undermine social relationships and discourage interaction across ideological lines.