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Economy of New Zealand vs United Kingdom compared: GDP & Debt

Updated on by Georank team

New Zealand has a GDP of $260B compared to $3.64T for the United Kingdom, ranking 53/197 and 6/197 by economy size, respectively.

New Zealand has $133B in government debt (55.3% of GDP), compared to $3.69T (103.9% of GDP) in the United Kingdom.

The chart below compares the two countries' GDP growth in both current (nominal) and constant dollars, accounting for inflation over time.

New Zealand
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
United Kingdom
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Year GDP
New Zealand United Kingdom
Current $ Constant $ Current $ Constant $
1960 $5,536,098,360 $42,169,502,939 $73,233,967,692 $793,127,688,244
1961 $5,721,994,864 $43,567,695,918 $77,741,965,703 $814,552,559,055
1962 $6,133,158,532 $44,909,961,496 $81,247,564,157 $823,502,017,571
1963 $6,699,741,645 $47,650,420,052 $86,561,961,812 $863,520,470,098
1964 $7,340,766,415 $50,558,660,811 $94,407,558,351 $911,832,808,560
1965 $5,706,251,400 $53,648,670,594 $101,824,755,079 $931,257,884,730
1966 $5,917,437,693 $57,000,887,530 $108,572,752,102 $945,854,883,422
1967 $6,016,017,227 $54,384,875,095 $113,116,888,211 $972,109,334,166
1968 $5,228,045,415 $54,358,308,884 $107,759,910,068 $1,025,309,894,085
1969 $5,814,357,709 $59,899,960,124 $116,464,702,803 $1,045,192,065,288
1970 $6,495,605,331 $59,062,793,729 $130,671,946,244 $1,073,501,944,593
1971 $7,911,136,757 $61,298,590,947 $148,113,896,325 $1,111,125,153,878
1972 $9,567,331,065 $64,436,532,490 $169,965,034,965 $1,159,144,290,116
1973 $12,802,281,898 $69,462,760,982 $192,537,971,583 $1,234,765,106,761
1974 $13,940,981,798 $73,625,970,474 $206,131,369,799 $1,204,088,552,401
1975 $12,861,983,284 $72,351,001,836 $241,756,637,168 $1,186,344,508,063
1976 $13,604,832,424 $73,023,006,890 $232,614,555,256 $1,220,870,290,415
1977 $15,446,825,318 $70,148,574,828 $263,066,457,352 $1,250,876,235,526
1978 $18,530,518,395 $70,372,042,491 $335,883,029,722 $1,303,466,331,520
1979 $20,731,243,113 $71,914,438,834 $438,994,070,309 $1,352,333,501,334
1980 $23,244,547,385 $72,838,001,601 $564,947,710,899 $1,324,862,634,143
1981 $24,417,617,184 $76,229,086,932 $540,765,675,241 $1,314,426,109,939
1982 $24,164,603,059 $76,937,776,426 $515,048,916,841 $1,340,647,481,093
1983 $24,309,279,706 $79,624,078,134 $489,618,008,186 $1,397,247,691,631
1984 $21,665,975,319 $83,440,220,877 $461,487,097,632 $1,428,952,711,498
1985 $24,679,795,396 $84,788,059,636 $489,285,164,271 $1,488,217,310,719
1986 $30,604,668,357 $87,082,121,111 $601,452,653,181 $1,535,101,225,015
1987 $40,376,354,070 $87,927,548,030 $745,162,608,269 $1,617,885,217,057
1988 $45,176,811,594 $87,616,568,095 $910,122,732,124 $1,710,629,088,853
1989 $43,920,222,525 $87,757,994,040 $926,884,816,754 $1,754,722,312,652
1990 $45,495,129,385 $87,892,387,206 $1,093,169,389,205 $1,767,597,683,606
1991 $42,745,329,732 $86,933,663,001 $1,142,797,178,131 $1,748,098,930,593
1992 $41,649,829,860 $87,884,573,621 $1,179,659,529,660 $1,755,110,242,246
1993 $46,775,620,817 $93,501,741,195 $1,061,388,722,256 $1,798,809,519,900
1994 $55,314,732,279 $98,288,327,599 $1,140,489,745,944 $1,867,991,899,167
1995 $63,918,703,507 $102,929,582,187 $1,344,240,176,740 $1,915,283,289,782
1996 $70,140,835,299 $106,647,274,008 $1,419,645,865,835 $1,964,735,787,017
1997 $66,075,143,415 $108,864,761,861 $1,560,911,918,795 $2,061,492,114,548
1998 $56,227,169,851 $109,799,263,892 $1,653,694,932,097 $2,131,637,645,608
1999 $58,762,260,626 $115,703,970,647 $1,687,830,448,148 $2,196,830,015,765
2000 $52,623,281,957 $119,024,733,715 $1,665,534,876,683 $2,292,208,338,884
2001 $53,872,425,917 $123,084,659,196 $1,649,827,263,567 $2,351,181,826,663
2002 $66,627,729,311 $128,886,227,124 $1,785,729,916,067 $2,393,401,075,664
2003 $88,250,885,550 $134,980,022,138 $2,054,422,857,143 $2,468,849,371,154
2004 $103,905,210,084 $140,497,957,985 $2,421,525,082,387 $2,529,531,329,418
2005 $114,720,129,550 $145,208,752,801 $2,543,180,000,000 $2,598,654,839,641
2006 $111,538,810,713 $149,245,237,528 $2,708,441,582,337 $2,660,520,860,407
2007 $137,188,946,866 $153,806,793,429 $3,090,510,204,082 $2,730,356,339,128
2008 $133,437,126,590 $152,242,519,171 $2,929,411,764,706 $2,723,563,287,348
2009 $121,663,439,315 $152,185,479,818 $2,412,840,006,232 $2,597,719,582,893
2010 $146,887,902,524 $154,405,312,545 $2,485,482,596,185 $2,655,734,846,286
2011 $168,484,908,960 $157,637,781,921 $2,663,805,834,828 $2,685,966,733,177
2012 $176,560,711,239 $161,367,975,233 $2,707,089,726,615 $2,726,497,926,773
2013 $191,012,364,177 $165,546,666,710 $2,784,853,502,534 $2,775,572,749,073
2014 $201,518,402,787 $171,881,119,397 $3,064,708,247,921 $2,864,242,231,942
2015 $178,224,167,088 $178,224,167,088 $2,927,911,140,917 $2,927,911,140,917
2016 $189,100,085,275 $184,959,455,627 $2,689,106,566,900 $2,984,177,105,011
2017 $206,745,969,246 $191,208,740,301 $2,680,148,052,335 $3,063,451,915,304
2018 $211,985,631,173 $197,844,796,499 $2,871,340,347,582 $3,106,499,243,232
2019 $213,006,341,102 $202,429,793,154 $2,851,407,164,908 $3,156,963,552,418
2020 $213,029,554,654 $201,807,833,898 $2,696,778,386,608 $2,831,893,577,012
2021 $253,977,931,815 $210,960,637,813 $3,143,323,050,707 $3,074,755,378,978
2022 $249,509,991,440 $218,336,637,843 $3,114,042,471,144 $3,223,545,410,806
2023 $255,194,972,673 $221,380,800,380 $3,369,861,888,973 $3,236,345,540,532
2024 $260,235,932,559 $221,100,836,866 $3,643,834,188,783 $3,271,966,955,942

Economic indicators

New Zealand United Kingdom
Gross domestic product
$260B
2024
$3.64T
2024
GDP rank
53/197
2024
6/197
2024
GDP growth
1.98%
2023-2024
8.13%
2023-2024
GDP per capita
$48,747
2024
$52,637
2024
GDP per capita rank
26/197
2024
23/197
2024
GDP per capita, PPP
$55,094
2024
$60,620
2024
Government debt
$133B
2024
$3.69T
2024
Debt-to-GDP ratio
55.3%
2025
103.9%
2025
Government debt per person
$24,936
2024
$53,283
2024
Government debt per person rank
28/185
2024
7/185
2024
Average annual personal income after taxes
$36,132
2025
$40,805
2025
Market capitalization of domestic companies
$92.9B
2024
$3.1T
2022
Number of millionaires n/a
3,061,553
2024
Number of billionaires
5
2025
55
2025
Income share by richest 10% n/a
24.6%
2021
Income share by poorest 10% n/a
3%
2021
Government expenditure, % of GDP
43%
2025
43.9%
2025
Consumer prices inflation
2.92%
2023-2024
3.27%
2023-2024
Central bank interest rate
3%
2025
4%
2025
Unemployment rate
4.72%
2024
4.36%
2024
Population
5406623
69945462

GDP per capita in New Zealand vs United Kingdom

New Zealand's GDP per capita is $48,747, ranking 26/197, compared to $52,637 in the United Kingdom, ranking 23/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), New Zealand ranks 37th at $55,094, while the United Kingdom ranks 32nd at $60,620.

New Zealand
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
United Kingdom
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
New Zealand United Kingdom
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1960 $2,334 - $1,398 -
1961 $2,365 - $1,472 -
1962 $2,471 - $1,526 -
1963 $2,646 - $1,613 -
1964 $2,839 - $1,748 -
1965 $2,171 - $1,874 -
1966 $2,211 - $1,987 -
1967 $2,208 - $2,059 -
1968 $1,902 - $1,952 -
1969 $2,097 - $2,101 -
1970 $2,311 - $2,348 -
1971 $2,773 - $2,650 -
1972 $3,295 - $3,030 -
1973 $4,323 - $3,426 -
1974 $4,611 - $3,666 -
1975 $4,172 - $4,300 -
1976 $4,374 - $4,138 -
1977 $4,951 - $4,681 -
1978 $5,937 - $5,977 -
1979 $6,668 - $7,805 -
1980 $7,467 - $10,032 -
1981 $7,814 - $9,599 -
1982 $7,656 - $9,146 -
1983 $7,598 - $8,692 -
1984 $6,714 - $8,179 -
1985 $7,601 - $8,652 -
1986 $9,428 - $10,611 -
1987 $12,331 - $13,119 -
1988 $13,759 - $15,987 -
1989 $13,312 - $16,239 -
1990 $13,663 $14,871 $19,095 $17,054
1991 $12,230 $14,560 $19,901 $17,383
1992 $11,793 $14,937 $20,487 $17,802
1993 $13,094 $15,964 $18,389 $18,633
1994 $15,280 $17,111 $19,709 $19,713
1995 $17,400 $17,885 $23,169 $20,581
1996 $18,794 $18,442 $24,406 $21,938
1997 $17,474 $19,127 $26,766 $23,065
1998 $14,738 $19,320 $28,275 $23,688
1999 $15,322 $20,579 $28,762 $24,494
2000 $13,641 $21,501 $28,281 $26,530
2001 $13,883 $22,521 $27,907 $27,916
2002 $16,874 $23,306 $30,078 $29,089
2003 $21,914 $23,987 $34,443 $30,318
2004 $25,420 $25,097 $40,367 $32,055
2005 $27,751 $25,677 $42,105 $32,726
2006 $26,655 $27,744 $44,512 $34,735
2007 $32,480 $29,354 $50,398 $35,523
2008 $31,325 $29,896 $47,396 $36,745
2009 $28,277 $30,756 $38,744 $35,023
2010 $33,762 $31,293 $39,599 $36,488
2011 $38,432 $32,739 $42,110 $37,224
2012 $40,054 $33,055 $42,490 $38,337
2013 $43,000 $36,263 $43,419 $39,948
2014 $44,618 $37,331 $47,427 $41,267
2015 $38,665 $37,578 $44,984 $42,527
2016 $40,114 $39,989 $40,988 $44,085
2017 $42,950 $42,244 $40,629 $46,113
2018 $43,257 $42,527 $43,315 $47,212
2019 $42,779 $45,198 $42,794 $50,065
2020 $41,851 $45,354 $40,405 $48,230
2021 $49,689 $47,997 $46,926 $51,004
2022 $48,760 $53,647 $46,063 $58,544
2023 $48,655 $53,854 $49,201 $57,915
2024 $48,747 $55,094 $52,637 $60,620

Spending and national debt comparison

In 2024, New Zealand's government spending was $111B, accounting for 43% of its GDP, while the United Kingdom's spent $1.6T, or 43.9% of GDP.

Debt-to-GDP ratio is 55.3% in New Zealand and 103.9% in the United Kingdom, ranking 95/185 and 19/185, respectively.

New Zealand
Government spending

Government debt
United Kingdom
Government spending

Government debt
Year % of GDP
New Zealand United Kingdom
Government spending Government debt Government spending Government debt
1960 25.3% 68.1% 33.1% 117.9%
1961 21.1% 64.6% 31.5% 113.8%
1962 21.6% 65% 33.8% 110.5%
1963 19.4% 64.5% 37.4% 108.6%
1964 19.4% 61.8% 32.8% 101.1%
1965 24.9% 59.6% 34.6% 94.6%
1966 25% 58.2% 35.7% 91.9%
1967 26% 59.7% 40.1% 89.1%
1968 26.2% 86.5% 40.3% 88.5%
1969 25.9% 85.8% 39.2% 82.8%
1970 24.8% 76.5% 42% 73.4%
1971 26.8% 71.3% 41.2% 67.9%
1972 26.4% 46% 42.3% 65%
1973 27.1% 44% 43.5% 58.5%
1974 27.3% 39.6% 47.8% 56.2%
1975 30.1% 41.4% 49.1% 49.6%
1976 31.6% 47.6% 49.2% 47.7%
1977 30% 44.6% 46.8% 53.7%
1978 36.6% 50% 46.2% 47.3%
1979 38.4% 52% 45.1% 44.5%
1980 38% 52.2% 47.6% 43.7%
1981 39.1% 50.5% 51.2% 41.1%
1982 39.9% 51.5% 50.8% 44.7%
1983 41.4% 59.6% 50.4% 44.2%
1984 40.7% 62.8% 50.3% 44.1%
1985 46.1% 64.1% 48.7% 42.9%
1986 46.9% 68.5% 44.6% 42.9%
1987 46.1% 62.9% 42.7% 41.8%
1988 46.1% 54.7% 40.3% 36.6%
1989 47.9% 55% 39.7% 31.4%
1990 49.6% 55.5% 35% 28.5%
1991 53% 58% 35.9% 28.5%
1992 52.5% 58.7% 37.8% 33.2%
1993 46.8% 54.6% 37.8% 38%
1994 42.8% 48.9% 37.5% 40.7%
1995 41.6% 43.5% 37.6% 43.7%
1996 39.9% 37.3% 35.7% 43.7%
1997 39.3% 34.6% 34.9% 44.1%
1998 40.1% 34.5% 34.5% 42%
1999 39.3% 32% 33.9% 40.4%
2000 38.3% 30% 33.9% 37.7%
2001 37.2% 28.2% 34.7% 35%
2002 36.8% 26.4% 35.9% 35.4%
2003 36.7% 24.7% 37.2% 36.8%
2004 36.2% 22.5% 38% 39.8%
2005 37.1% 20.8% 38.4% 41%
2006 37.9% 18.4% 38.4% 42.1%
2007 37.1% 16.3% 38.7% 43.2%
2008 38.5% 19% 41% 50.8%
2009 40.3% 24.3% 44.6% 64.9%
2010 42.9% 29.6% 44.7% 75.9%
2011 42.4% 34.7% 43.5% 81.4%
2012 39.7% 35.7% 43.6% 84.5%
2013 38.6% 34.5% 41.8% 85.3%
2014 37.7% 34.2% 41.2% 87.1%
2015 37.2% 34.2% 40.4% 87.9%
2016 36.4% 33.3% 39.6% 87.8%
2017 35.6% 31.1% 39.2% 86.7%
2018 36.1% 28.1% 38.9% 86.3%
2019 38.8% 31.8% 38.8% 85.7%
2020 42% 43.2% 50% 105.8%
2021 41.9% 47.5% 45.8% 105.1%
2022 41.8% 46.9% 44.1% 99.6%
2023 41.3% 47% 44.8% 100.4%
2024 42.7% 51.2% 44% 101.2%
2025 43% 55.3% 43.9% 103.9%

Government deficit by year

In 2024, New Zealand's government deficit, the difference between spending and revenue, was -$11.4B, equivalent to -4.38% of GDP. This compares to the United Kingdom's deficit of -$209B, or -5.75% of GDP.

Over the past 65 years, New Zealand recorded a fiscal deficit in 36 of those years, while the United Kingdom ran a deficit in 56 years. On average, New Zealand posted an annual deficit equal to -1.25% of GDP, compared to deficit of -3.73% of GDP for the United Kingdom.

Deficit/surplus
New Zealand

United Kingdom
Year Deficit/surplus, % of GDP
New Zealand United Kingdom
1830 - 0.45%
1831 - 0%
1832 - 0%
1833 - 0.24%
1834 - 0.23%
1835 - 0.42%
1836 - 0.59%
1837 - -0.21%
1838 - -0.19%
1839 - -0.18%
1840 - -0.2%
1841 - -0.42%
1842 - -0.87%
1843 - 0.44%
1844 - 0.59%
1845 - 0.56%
1846 - 0.52%
1847 - -6.13%
1848 - -0.17%
1849 - 0.34%
1850 - 0.37%
1851 - 0.35%
1852 - 0.35%
1853 - 0.5%
1854 - -3.39%
1855 - -3.57%
1856 - -0.6%
1857 - -0.15%
1858 - -0.15%
1859 - 0%
1860 - -0.43%
1861 - -0.4%
1862 - -0.13%
1863 - 0%
1864 - 0.24%
1865 - 0%
1866 - 0.11%
1867 - -0.45%
1868 - -0.45%
1869 - 0.77%
1870 - 0%
1871 - 0.29%
1872 - 0.55%
1873 - 0%
1874 - 0.09%
1875 - 0%
1876 -5.28% 0.09%
1877 -2.53% -0.18%
1878 -0.85% -0.18%
1879 -0.55% -0.86%
1880 -2.39% 0.1%
1881 -2.33% 0.06%
1882 0.18% 0.02%
1883 0.38% 0.06%
1884 -0.1% -0.04%
1885 -0.47% -0.21%
1886 -0.53% 0.07%
1887 -1.63% 0.25%
1888 -1.64% 0.27%
1889 0.59% 0.3%
1890 0.05% 0.23%
1891 0.46% 0.19%
1892 0.09% 0.14%
1893 1.14% -0.007%
1894 0.76% 0.06%
1895 0.32% 0.3%
1896 0.65% 0.17%
1897 0.86% 0.25%
1898 1.38% 0.01%
1899 1.15% -0.79%
1900 1.59% -2.96%
1901 1.11% -2.74%
1902 0.63% -1.77%
1903 0.55% -0.22%
1904 1.42% 0.2%
1905 1.41% 0.36%
1906 0.97% 0.58%
1907 1.13% 0.66%
1908 1.26% 0.34%
1909 0.31% -1.25%
1910 0.36% 1.75%
1911 1.24% 0.51%
1912 0.89% 0.22%
1913 0.79% 0.25%
1914 0.45% -14.6%
1915 0.06% -30%
1916 1.46% -50.6%
1917 3.89% -48.8%
1918 4.35% -34.4%
1919 2.9% -6.28%
1920 1.51% 4.2%
1921 3.55% 1.15%
1922 -0.2% 2.45%
1923 0.95% 2.23%
1924 1.2% 1.19%
1925 0.78% 0.84%
1926 0.72% 0.6%
1927 0.4% 1.62%
1928 0.12% 1.75%
1929 -0.37% 0.75%
1930 0.09% 1.01%
1931 -1.12% 0.8%
1932 -1.77% -0.15%
1933 0.02% 0.99%
1934 -0.55% 0.48%
1935 1.19% 0.37%
1936 0.17% 0.17%
1937 0.23% 0.82%
1938 0.38% 0%
1939 0.34% -2.99%
1940 0.13% -12.1%
1941 0.64% -32%
1942 0.56% -31.6%
1943 1.24% -33.3%
1944 0.59% -29.7%
1945 0.32% -30.9%
1946 0.31% -22.5%
1947 1.07% -15.8%
1948 0.36% -0.39%
1949 0.53% 3.01%
1950 0.78% 0.34%
1951 1.17% 2.03%
1952 1.73% -1.26%
1953 0.43% -2.84%
1954 0.22% -1.65%
1955 0.73% -0.39%
1956 1.33% 0.55%
1957 0.32% -1.04%
1958 -0.02% -1.73%
1959 0.03% -0.58%
1960 0.05% -2.75%
1961 0.03% 0.56%
1962 0.02% -0.49%
1963 -0.26% -5.47%
1964 -0.08% -1.76%
1965 0.26% -2.06%
1966 0.09% -1.59%
1967 0.02% -4.57%
1968 0.03% -2.3%
1969 0.17% 1.03%
1970 -0.05% 2.61%
1971 0.09% 1.48%
1972 0.12% -1.66%
1973 -0.07% -4.29%
1974 0.03% -4.06%
1975 0.11% -5.08%
1976 -2.07% -5.61%
1977 -1.09% -4.41%
1978 -3.41% -6.63%
1979 -6.55% -5.79%
1980 -4.9% -5.65%
1981 -6.02% -7.03%
1982 -6.26% -5.66%
1983 -6.64% -6.26%
1984 -8.68% -6.39%
1985 -6.97% -5.57%
1986 -5.33% -2.56%
1987 -3.43% -1.79%
1988 -1.88% 0.46%
1989 -2.16% 0.77%
1990 -2.74% -1.54%
1991 -6.14% -2.77%
1992 -6.27% -5.41%
1993 -1.53% -6.62%
1994 1.99% -5.74%
1995 3.7% -4.99%
1996 2.58% -3.65%
1997 1.23% -2.01%
1998 -0.48% -0.21%
1999 -1.11% 0.76%
2000 0.17% 1.4%
2001 1.29% 0.34%
2002 2.55% -1.96%
2003 3.68% -3.22%
2004 4.49% -3.16%
2005 5.13% -3.15%
2006 4.62% -2.76%
2007 3.6% -2.65%
2008 1.47% -5.09%
2009 -1.81% -10.1%
2010 -5.51% -9.22%
2011 -4.96% -7.38%
2012 -2.19% -7.45%
2013 -1.29% -5.34%
2014 -0.34% -5.53%
2015 0.36% -4.59%
2016 0.98% -3.31%
2017 1.36% -2.49%
2018 1.27% -2.27%
2019 -2.5% -2.47%
2020 -4.35% -13.2%
2021 -3.5% -7.72%
2022 -4.16% -4.56%
2023 -3.54% -6.05%
2024 -4.38% -5.75%
2025 -5.18% -4.42%

Inflation comparison by year

Over the past 29 years, New Zealand has recorded an average annual inflation rate of 2.37%, compared with 2.42% in the United Kingdom. In 2024, inflation was 2.92% in New Zealand and 3.27% in the United Kingdom.

Inflation
New Zealand

United Kingdom
Year Inflation
New Zealand United Kingdom New Zealand United Kingdom
1996 2.29% 2.85%
1997 1.19% 2.2%
1998 1.27% 1.82%
1999 -0.11% 1.75%
2000 2.62% 1.18%
2001 2.63% 1.53%
2002 2.68% 1.52%
2003 1.75% 1.38%
2004 2.29% 1.39%
2005 3.04% 2.09%
2006 3.37% 2.46%
2007 2.38% 2.39%
2008 3.96% 3.52%
2009 2.12% 1.96%
2010 2.3% 2.49%
2011 4.03% 3.86%
2012 1.06% 2.57%
2013 1.13% 2.29%
2014 1.23% 1.45%
2015 0.29% 0.37%
2016 0.65% 1.01%
2017 1.85% 2.56%
2018 1.6% 2.29%
2019 1.62% 1.74%
2020 1.71% 0.99%
2021 3.94% 2.52%
2022 7.17% 7.92%
2023 5.73% 6.79%
2024 2.92% 3.27%

Top exports between countries

New Zealand
Export category Export value
Animal & marine products $435M
Processed food, beverages & tobacco $272M
IT & IP services $175M
Transport & tourism services $170M
Machinery & equipment $151M
Business & finance services $97.8M
Chemicals & pharma $52.7M
Raw agricultural goods $48M
Textiles & consumer goods $36.4M
Metals $17.9M
United Kingdom
Export category Export value
Machinery & equipment $837M
Business & finance services $406M
IT & IP services $168M
Transport & tourism services $128M
Chemicals & pharma $112M
Processed food, beverages & tobacco $59.7M
Textiles & consumer goods $55.9M
Metals $25.8M
Wood & paper products $25.3M
Raw materials & minerals $16.7M

Balance of trade

New Zealand United Kingdom
Current account balance
-$15.8B
2024
-$96.6B
2024
Current account balance ranking
178/189
2024
188/189
2024
Current account balance, % of GDP
-6.09%
2024
-2.65%
2024
Goods imports
$48.6B
2024
$756B
2024
Goods exports
$43.3B
2024
$467B
2024
Service imports
$19.4B
2024
$402B
2024
Service exports
$18.5B
2024
$649B
2024
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
26.7%
2023
31.8%
2024
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
23.7%
2023
30.6%
2024

Economic freedom indices

The indices of economic freedom below are issued by the Heritage Foundation. Higher scores indicate stronger economic health.

New Zealand United Kingdom
Economic freedom 78.1 69.3
Economic freedom ranking 12/197 39/197
Property rights 87.5 95.2
Government integrity 91.3 83.4
Judicial effectiveness 93.9 84.8
Tax burden 65.4 61
Government spending 47.8 40.1
Fiscal health 77.7 19
Business freedom 88.7 83.4
Labor freedom 69.7 63.2
Monetary freedom 74.6 67.9
Trade freedom 90.4 83.4
Investment freedom 70 70
Financial freedom 80 80

Economic freedom by year comparison

The Economic Freedom Index for New Zealand is 78.1, ranking 12/197, compared to 69.3 for the United Kingdom, ranking 39/197. The chart below displays a comparison of annual changes in economic freedom indexes.

New Zealand
United Kingdom
Year Economic freedom index
New Zealand United Kingdom
1995 - 77.9
1996 78.1 76.4
1997 79 76.4
1998 79.2 76.5
1999 81.7 76.2
2000 80.9 77.3
2001 81.1 77.6
2002 80.7 78.5
2003 81.1 77.5
2004 81.5 77.7
2005 82.3 79.2
2006 82 80.4
2007 81.4 79.9
2008 80.7 79.4
2009 82 79
2010 82.1 76.5
2011 82.3 74.5
2012 82.1 74.1
2013 81.4 74.8
2014 81.2 74.9
2015 82.1 75.8
2016 81.6 76.4
2017 83.7 76.4
2018 84.2 78
2019 84.4 78.9
2020 84.1 79.3
2021 83.9 78.4
2022 80.6 72.7
2023 78.9 69.9
2024 77.8 68.6
2025 78.1 69.3

More economic indicators

New Zealand United Kingdom
Services, % of GDP
67.4%
2022
72.8%
2024
Industry, % of GDP
19.6%
2022
16.7%
2024
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP
4.57%
2022
0.56%
2024
GNI, Atlas method
$247B
2024
$3.37T
2024
GNI per capita, PPP
$53,160
2024
$60,090
2024
Total reserves including gold
$22.1B
2024
$175B
2024
Total reserves ranking
59/177
2024
19/177
2024
Net foreign direct investment
-$1.17B
2024
$64.8B
2024
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
$3.37B
2024
$3.5B
2024
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$2.2B
2024
$68.3B
2024
Poverty at national poverty lines n/a
18.6%
2017
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
23.8%
2023
17.9%
2024

GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

Compare countries by 7 more topics

Economy comparisons

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The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.

Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.