Wealth share of the richest 1% in New Zealand
New Zealand: Wealth share of the richest 1% was 22.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Wealth share of the richest 1% in New Zealand, 1820–2024
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 22.7% for wealth share of the richest 1% in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wealth share of the richest 1% in New Zealand peaked at 46.3% in 1930 and was at its lowest, 22.0%, in 1987.
New Zealand ranks 199th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Wealth share of the richest 1% in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 29.1% | — |
| 1850 | 30.2% | +3.9% |
| 1880 | 29.5% | -2.4% |
| 1900 | 40.2% | +36.3% |
| 1910 | 40.2% | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 46.1% | +14.7% |
| 1930 | 46.3% | +0.4% |
| 1940 | 26.6% | -42.5% |
| 1950 | 32.0% | +20.1% |
| 1960 | 25.2% | -21.0% |
| 1970 | 24.2% | -4.0% |
| 1980 | 22.2% | -8.5% |
| 1981 | 22.1% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 22.2% | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 22.5% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 22.4% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 22.2% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 22.0% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 22.0% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 22.0% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 22.4% | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 23.1% | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 22.8% | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 23.1% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 23.2% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 23.3% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 23.3% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 23.0% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 23.2% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 23.5% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 23.6% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 23.1% | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 23.4% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 23.1% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 23.2% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 23.8% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 23.1% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 22.1% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 22.5% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 23.4% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 23.7% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 24.4% | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 24.1% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 23.1% | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 22.7% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 22.6% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 22.6% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 22.4% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 22.6% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 22.4% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 22.6% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 23.2% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 23.3% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 22.5% | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 22.5% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 22.7% | +0.7% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 22.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 27.5%, 82% of the median. (79 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 22.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 27.2%, 83% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wealth share of the richest 1% in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | -42.5% | 46.3% | 26.6% |
| 1900 | +36.3% | 29.5% | 40.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 29.1% | 29.1% | 29.1% | 1 |
| 1850s | 30.2% | 30.2% | 30.2% | 1 |
| 1880s | 29.5% | 29.5% | 29.5% | 1 |
| 1900s | 40.2% | 40.2% | 40.2% | 1 |
| 1910s | 40.2% | 40.2% | 40.2% | 1 |
| 1920s | 46.1% | 46.1% | 46.1% | 1 |
| 1930s | 46.3% | 46.3% | 46.3% | 1 |
| 1940s | 26.6% | 26.6% | 26.6% | 1 |
| 1950s | 32.0% | 32.0% | 32.0% | 1 |
| 1960s | 25.2% | 25.2% | 25.2% | 1 |
| 1970s | 24.2% | 24.2% | 24.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 22.2% | 22.0% | 22.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.2% | 22.8% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.1% | 22.1% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.0% | 22.4% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.8% | 22.5% | 23.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 196 Andorra 22.8% compare
- 196 Isle of Man 22.8% compare
- 198 Brunei 22.8% compare
- 200 Montenegro 22.6% compare
- 201 Croatia 22.6% compare
- 202 Bosnia and Herzegovina 22.5% 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 wealth share of the richest 1% in New Zealand?
- Wealth share of the richest 1% in New Zealand was 22.7% in 2024, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 46.3% in 1930.
- What is the lowest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.0% in 1987.
- How does New Zealand rank for wealth share of the richest 1%?
- New Zealand ranks 199th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wealth share of the richest 1% rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Wealth share of the richest 1%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of wealth owned by the richest 1% of the population. Wealth is defined as the total value of non-financial and financial assets (housing, land, deposits, bonds, equities, etc.) held by households, minus their debts.