Australia vs New Zealand: Subnational government expenditure

Australia
39.28 Percentage of GDP
in 2024
New Zealand
40.55 Percentage of GDP
in 2024
Australia rank
29th
New Zealand rank
26th

Subnational government expenditure over time

  • Australia
  • New Zealand
010203040200020122024

How they compare

New Zealand currently reports 40.55 Percentage of GDP against 39.28 Percentage of GDP in Australia, a difference of 1.27 Percentage of GDP.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was New Zealand ahead.

Australia ranks 29th and New Zealand ranks 26th of 36 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 1 and New Zealand in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia New Zealand Difference Ahead
2000s 35.6 Percentage of GDP 38.14 Percentage of GDP 2.54 Percentage of GDP New Zealand
2010s 37.13 Percentage of GDP 37.06 Percentage of GDP 0.0712 Percentage of GDP Australia
2020s 39.66 Percentage of GDP 39.78 Percentage of GDP 0.1202 Percentage of GDP New Zealand

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher subnational government expenditure, Australia or New Zealand?
New Zealand, at 40.55 Percentage of GDP against 39.28 Percentage of GDP in Australia as of 2024.
What is the difference in subnational government expenditure between Australia and New Zealand?
1.27 Percentage of GDP, with New Zealand ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for subnational government expenditure?
Australia ranks 29th and New Zealand ranks 26th of 36 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Subnational government expenditure. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia vs New Zealand: Subnational government expenditure. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/subnational-government-expenditure/australia/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Subnational government expenditure
Unit
Percentage of GDP
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
42 places, 1,036 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

This dataset includes subnational government expenditure expressed in several units of measures: USD PPP, USD PPP per capita, percentage of GDP, and percentage of total public expenditure. The Subnational Government Structure and Finance Dashboard compiles several datasets with comparable data on institutional organisation and public finance at subnational government level. It provides data for the time period 2000 - 2024 (based on data availability), for all 38 OECD member countries, and the average for the European Union. It includes data for the subnational government sector, for both state and local government levels for some federal countries. The data for the latest year available is also available in PDF format and via an Interactive dashboard.