Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in New Zealand

New Zealand: Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure was 22.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
22.1%
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
141st
of 191 countries
All-time high
25.8%
in 2002
All-time low
21.4%
in 2021
Years of data
22
2001–2022

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in New Zealand, 2001–2022

01020302001201120222001: 24.52002: 25.82003: 23.52004: 24.12005: 24.22006: 24.42007: 242008: 25.12009: 23.32010: 21.82011: 21.92012: 23.42013: 23.42014: 23.52015: 23.62016: 23.62017: 23.52018: 23.52019: 22.52020: 22.12021: 21.42022: 22.1

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

The most recent figure for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in New Zealand is 22.1%, measured in 2022.

The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and down 5.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in New Zealand peaked at 25.8% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 21.4%, in 2021.

New Zealand ranks 141st of 191 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in New Zealand, 2001 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2001 24.5%
2002 25.8% +5.4%
2003 23.5% -9.0%
2004 24.1% +2.6%
2005 24.2% +0.5%
2006 24.4% +0.7%
2007 24.0% -1.5%
2008 25.1% +4.5%
2009 23.3% -7.0%
2010 21.8% -6.8%
2011 21.9% +0.6%
2012 23.4% +7.1%
2013 23.4% -0.0%
2014 23.5% +0.4%
2015 23.6% +0.3%
2016 23.6% -0.0%
2017 23.5% -0.4%
2018 23.5% +0.1%
2019 22.5% -4.2%
2020 22.1% -1.9%
2021 21.4% -3.2%
2022 22.1% +3.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 24.3% 23.3% 25.8% 9
2010s 23.1% 21.8% 23.6% 10
2020s 21.8% 21.4% 22.1% 3

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 138 Singapore 22.2% compare
  2. 139 Congo 22.1% compare
  3. 140 Switzerland 22.1% compare
  4. 142 Benin 22.1% compare
  5. 143 Bahamas 22.0% compare
  6. 144 Sri Lanka 21.6% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in New Zealand?
Wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in New Zealand was 22.1% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 25.8% in 2002.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 21.4% in 2021.
How does New Zealand rank for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure?
New Zealand ranks 141st out of 191 countries with data for 2022.
Is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in New Zealand. Statizoid. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-public-expenditure/new-zealand/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-public-expenditure/new-zealand/">Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in New Zealand</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,119 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed