New Zealand: Tax revenue (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, New Zealand's tax revenue (current LCU) rose 8.9% on 2023 (from 117.16 billion to 127.55 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2023), the average change was +8.4% and a typical year strayed about 7.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 24.8% in 1981 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.8% in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 6.4 billion a year. A straight line explains 97% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 140.26 billion for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 11.92 billion, against 15.88 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, New Zealand had the 56th highest value of the 91 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to New Zealand in the 2024 ranking

• Nicaragua — 52nd of 91: 144.92 billion
• Mauritius — 53rd of 91: 142.36 billion
• Belgium — 54th of 91: 142.33 billion
• Austria — 56th of 91: 127.38 billion
• Zambia — 57th of 91: 124.68 billion
• Macao SAR, China — 58th of 91: 109 billion

What this measures

Taxes are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units. 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.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 41 values

Tax revenue (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Australia — 550.61 billion (2022)
• Cambodia — 21.24 trillion (2023)
• China — 9.46 trillion (2024)
• Fiji — 3.24 billion (2024)
• Kiribati — 76.97 million (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 339.9 trillion (2024)
• Lao PDR — 26.3 trillion (2022)
• Macao SAR, China — 109 billion (2024)
• Malaysia — 240.19 billion (2024)
• Marshall Islands — 41.48 million (2020)
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 26.22 million (2020)

More public sector data for New Zealand

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 2.86 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 4.91 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.1% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 200 million (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 17.87 billion (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 12.04% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 147.96 billion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP) — 34.25% (2024)
• Taxes on goods and services (current LCU) — 39.13 billion (2024)
• Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is New Zealand's tax revenue (current LCU)?

127.55 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is up 6,523% from 1.93 billion in 1972 (8.4% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 127.55 billion in 2024 and the lowest 1.93 billion in 1972.

How does New Zealand rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.TAX.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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