Share of government spending going to interest payments in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of government spending going to interest payments was 3.0% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Share of government spending going to interest payments in New Zealand, 1972–2022
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of government spending going to interest payments in New Zealand is 3.0%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 9.3% on the previous year and down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government spending going to interest payments in New Zealand peaked at 18.9% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2008.
That places New Zealand 114th out of 152 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of government spending going to interest payments in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 9.1% | — |
| 1973 | 8.3% | -8.0% |
| 1974 | 7.9% | -5.3% |
| 1975 | 7.5% | -4.5% |
| 1976 | 9.2% | +22.2% |
| 1977 | 9.5% | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 9.8% | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 10.8% | +10.9% |
| 1980 | 10.6% | -2.1% |
| 1981 | 11.3% | +6.9% |
| 1982 | 11.9% | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 14.9% | +24.7% |
| 1984 | 16.3% | +9.4% |
| 1985 | 18.9% | +16.2% |
| 1986 | 18.7% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 18.5% | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 16.3% | -11.6% |
| 2001 | 6.3% | -61.6% |
| 2002 | 5.3% | -15.7% |
| 2003 | 5.5% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 5.4% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 5.3% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 4.5% | -13.6% |
| 2007 | 3.9% | -15.2% |
| 2008 | 2.2% | -43.9% |
| 2009 | 3.5% | +60.0% |
| 2010 | 3.6% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | +25.3% |
| 2013 | 4.9% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 4.5% | -8.0% |
| 2015 | 4.6% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 4.1% | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | -5.3% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | -25.3% |
| 2021 | 2.7% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | +9.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.0% | 7.5% | 10.8% | 8 |
| 1980s | 15.3% | 10.6% | 18.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.6% | 2.2% | 6.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 3.6% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
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 share of government spending going to interest payments in New Zealand?
- Share of government spending going to interest payments in New Zealand was 3.0% in 2022, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government spending going to interest payments recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share of government spending going to interest payments recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2008.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- New Zealand ranks 114th out of 152 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of government spending going to interest payments rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government spending going to interest payments. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Interest expenditures on government debt, as share of total central government expenditures. Interest expenditures on government debt include payments on long-term bonds, long-term loans, and other debt instruments.