Central government debt, total (current LCU) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Central government debt, total (current LCU) was 224.61 billion current LCU in 2024. ▲ Rising
Central government debt, total in New Zealand, 2002–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
In 2024, central government debt, total in New Zealand stood at 224.61 billion current LCU. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.9% on the previous year and up 110.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in New Zealand peaked at 224.61 billion current LCU in 2024 and was at its lowest, 44.31 billion current LCU, in 2002.
That places New Zealand 47th out of 83 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Central government debt, total (current LCU) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 44.31 billion current LCU | — |
| 2003 | 69.72 billion current LCU | +57.3% |
| 2004 | 67.80 billion current LCU | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 71.97 billion current LCU | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 73.88 billion current LCU | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 69.02 billion current LCU | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 68.37 billion current LCU | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 62.06 billion current LCU | -9.2% |
| 2010 | 70.78 billion current LCU | +14.1% |
| 2011 | 102.54 billion current LCU | +44.9% |
| 2012 | 112.35 billion current LCU | +9.6% |
| 2013 | 108.13 billion current LCU | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 106.57 billion current LCU | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 109.64 billion current LCU | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 112.35 billion current LCU | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 112.40 billion current LCU | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 112.15 billion current LCU | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 105.95 billion current LCU | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 150.25 billion current LCU | +41.8% |
| 2021 | 184.22 billion current LCU | +22.6% |
| 2022 | 212.36 billion current LCU | +15.3% |
| 2023 | 208.23 billion current LCU | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 224.61 billion current LCU | +7.9% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 224.61 billion current LCU is below the median for high income countries, which is 359.73 billion current LCU, 62% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 224.61 billion current LCU is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 736.11 billion current LCU, 31% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Central government debt, total (current LCU) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +57.3% | 44.31 billion current LCU | 69.72 billion current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 65.89 billion current LCU | 44.31 billion current LCU | 73.88 billion current LCU | 8 |
| 2010s | 105.29 billion current LCU | 70.78 billion current LCU | 112.40 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 195.94 billion current LCU | 150.25 billion current LCU | 224.61 billion current LCU | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 44 Peru 309.59 billion current LCU compare
- 45 Mauritius 296.83 billion current LCU compare
- 46 Norway 275.92 billion current LCU
- 48 Bhutan 202.15 billion current LCU compare
- 49 Switzerland 190.25 billion current LCU compare
- 50 Netherlands 170.01 billion current LCU
More public sector data for New Zealand
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 200.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 37.81 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0008 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -50.62 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in New Zealand?
- Central government debt, total in New Zealand was 224.61 billion current LCU in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 224.61 billion current LCU in 2024.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.31 billion current LCU in 2002.
- How does New Zealand rank for central government debt, total?
- New Zealand ranks 47th out of 83 countries with data for 2024.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 110.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.