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: 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 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 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).