Tax revenue in New Zealand
New Zealand: Tax revenue was 29.5% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Tax revenue in New Zealand, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tax revenue in New Zealand is 29.5%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 5.2% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in New Zealand peaked at 33.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 24.5%, in 1972.
That places New Zealand 4th out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
Tax revenue in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 24.5% | — |
| 1973 | 26.1% | +6.5% |
| 1974 | 28.4% | +8.9% |
| 1975 | 28.0% | -1.3% |
| 1976 | 27.6% | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 29.6% | +7.4% |
| 1978 | 28.2% | -4.7% |
| 1979 | 29.2% | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 29.3% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 30.1% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 30.5% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 28.3% | -7.2% |
| 1984 | 28.7% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 29.7% | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 30.2% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 33.2% | +10.1% |
| 1988 | 32.7% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 28.6% | -12.7% |
| 2002 | 28.2% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 29.2% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 29.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 30.3% | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 32.0% | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 30.1% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 31.5% | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 29.6% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 26.1% | -11.9% |
| 2011 | 25.6% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 26.9% | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 26.7% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 26.8% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 27.4% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 27.3% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 27.3% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 27.5% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 28.3% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 27.3% | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 29.0% | +6.3% |
| 2022 | 29.2% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 28.1% | -4.0% |
| 2024 | 29.5% | +5.2% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 29.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.7%, 1.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 29.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.7%, 1.8× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 27.7% | 24.5% | 29.6% | 8 |
| 1980s | 30.3% | 28.3% | 33.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 29.9% | 28.2% | 32.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 27.0% | 25.6% | 28.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.6% | 27.3% | 29.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More public sector data for New Zealand
- 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)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 200.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 566.83 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0115 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 3.00 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 1,538 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in New Zealand?
- Tax revenue in New Zealand was 29.5% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 33.2% in 1987.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.5% in 1972.
- How does New Zealand rank for tax revenue?
- New Zealand ranks 4th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Tax revenue (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.