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New Zealand
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New Zealand
Overview of the education system (EAG 2021)
  • In New Zealand, men are less likely than women to pursue a vocational track. In 2019, 44% of upper secondary vocational graduates were men, compared to 55% on average across OECD countries.
  • In New Zealand, 49% of 25-34 year-old women had a tertiary qualification in 2020 compared to 39% of their male peers.
  • In 2018, New Zealand invested a total of USD 9 934 per student on primary to tertiary institutions compared to USD 10 454 on average across OECD countries. This represents 6.2% of GDP, compared to 4.9% on average across OECD countries.
  • In 2019, 90% of 3-5 year-olds were enrolled in early childhood education and care programmes and primary education in New Zealand, compared to 88% on average across OECD countries.
  • Statutory salaries of teachers with maximum qualifications at the top of their salary scales are 60% to 74% higher than those of teachers with the minimum qualifications at the start of their career at primary and general lower and upper secondary levels in New Zealand compared to 86% - 91% on average.
    • | Education at a Glance 2021 | Country Note | Annexes from Education at a Glance 2021 | OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018 | OECD Education Policy Outlook: New Zealand | Ministry of Education | Education Counts | Statistics New Zealand |
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    The following list displays indicators for which your selected country shows the highest and lowest values among countries. The list can be sorted by level of education or by age group. All rankings are calculated including available data from OECD and partner countries. Find out more about the methodology here.

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    Attainment

    In New Zealand, the percentage of 25-64 year-olds who attained a bachelor's or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the highest among countries with available data. (29.1 %, rank 3/46 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Education expectancy

    In New Zealand, the expected years in education between ages 15 and 29 are comparatively short . (5.7 Years, rank 37/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the expected years in education between ages 15 and 29 are comparatively short for men. (5.7 Years, rank 36/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    For women, the expected years in education between ages 15 and 29 are relatively short in New Zealand. (5.7 Years, rank 36/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Participation in education

    The percentage of students in independent private tertiary educational institutions is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 28/30 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate of 40-64 year-olds in New Zealand is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (5.2 %, rank 3/41 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The share of students enrolled in programmes providing full completion and access to tertiary education among all students enrolled in upper secondary vocational programmes is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 35/35 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Graduation expectancy

    The percentage of today's young people expected to obtain a master's or an equivalent degree before the age of 35 is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (7.6 %, rank 26/29 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Excluding mobile students, New Zealand has one of the lowest percentages of young people expected to obtain a master's or an equivalent degree before the age of 30. (3.7 %, rank 26/27 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The proportion of young people expected to be first-time graduates from post-secondary non-tertiary education before turning 30 is one of the highest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (21.2 %, rank 1/24 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Graduation

    In New Zealand, the percentage of bachelor's or equivalent graduates in public institutions is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (94.2 %, rank 5/35 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the percentage of master's or equivalent graduates in public institutions is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (97.6 %, rank 5/35 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The share of doctorate graduates in public institutions is relatively high in New Zealand. (100 %, rank 1/35 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the share of first-time graduates in vocational programmes at post-secondary non-tertiary level is comparatively small. (83.5 %, rank 22/24 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Graduation by gender

    The share of female graduates from upper secondary vocational programmes is one of the largest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (56.4 %, rank 2/39 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the share of female doctoral graduates in the field of business, administration and law is relatively high. (57.1 %, rank 4/43 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the proportion of male tertiary graduates in the field of arts and humanities is relatively large. (11.6 %, rank 5/43 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the share of female post-secondary non-tertiary graduates in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6.3 %, rank 20/24 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Graduation by age

    The share of tertiary graduates younger than 30-years-old is one of the smallest among countries with available data. (78.1 %, rank 25/28 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The average age of upper secondary graduates from vocational programmes in New Zealand is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data (34.2 Years, rank 1/37 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the percentage of first-time master's graduates younger than 35 is relatively low. (73.5 %, rank 25/29 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Graduation by field of education

    The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of information and communication technologies is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6.8 %, rank 5/43 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Fields of education

    In New Zealand, the percentage of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is relatively low. (9.4 %, rank 35/37 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The percentage of students enrolled in the field of engineering, manunfacturing and construction among all national tertiary students in New Zealand is relatively low. (9.1 %, rank 32/34 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand,the share of male among new entrants in doctoral programmes enrolled in the field of education is relatively small. (24 %, rank 29/33 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand,the share of male among new entrants in doctoral programmes enrolled in the field of natural sciences, mathematics ans statistics is relatively small. (45.8 %, rank 30/34 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the share of male among new entrants in doctoral programmes enrolled in the field of information and communication technologies is relatively small. (63.9 %, rank 29/32 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Student mobility

    New Zealand has one of the largest proportion of international or foreign students enrolled in tertiary education among OECD and partner countries with available data. (20.8 %, rank 3/44 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the number of international or foreign students per national student abroad is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (10 Students, rank 4/44 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, international or foreign students from Oceania are most represented among all international or foreign students, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (6.5 %, rank 1/75 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the proportion of international graduates among bachelor's first-time graduates is relatively high. (28.8 %, rank 2/29 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the proportion of international graduates among first-time doctorate graduates is relatively high. (54.4 %, rank 3/28 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Student mobility by field of education

    The percentage of students enrolled in the field of business, administration and law among all international or foreign tertiary students in New Zealand is relatively high. (35.1 %, rank 4/33 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the percentage of international doctoral graduates in the field of arts and humanities is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (5.5 %, rank 31/34 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Adult participation in non-formal education

    In New Zealand, the proportion of employed adults participating in non-formal education and training is high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (73.9 %, rank 1/36 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the proportion of adults employed in enterprises of 1-9 persons and participating in non-formal education and training is high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (62.8 %, rank 2/36 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the proportion of adults employed in enterprises of over 249 persons and participating in non-formal education and training is high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (85.2 %, rank 1/35 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the proportion of adults employed in the private sector and participating in non-formal education and training is high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (65.2 %, rank 3/36 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the proportion of adults employed in the public sector and participating in non-formal education and training is high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (85.3 %, rank 1/36 , 2016) Download Indicator

    The percentage of employed adults participating in job-related non-formal education and training sponsored by the employer is relatively high. (62.1 %, rank 2/36 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the proportion of adults employed in enterprises of 1-9 persons and participating in job-related non-formal education and training sponsored by the employer is high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (47.5 %, rank 2/36 , 2016) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the proportion of adults employed in enterprises of over of 249 persons and participating in job-related non-formal education and training sponsored by the employer is high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (73.9 %, rank 2/34 , 2016) Download Indicator

    Expenditure in education and national wealth

    In New Zealand, expenditure on primary through tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is one of the highest among OECD countries and partner economies. (6.2 %, rank 3/37 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, public and private expenditure on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is comparatively high. (4.5 %, rank 4/37 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, private expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary to tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (1.5 %, rank 5/37 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the public expenditure as a percentage of GDP from initial source of funds on primary to post-secondary non-tertiary level is high. (3.8 %, rank 5/26 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the private expenditure as a percentage of GDP from initial source of funds on primary to post-secondary non-tertiary level is high . (0.7 %, rank 3/25 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the international expenditure as a percentage of GDP from initial source of funds on primary to tertiary education is high. (0 USD Equivalent, rank 2/29 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The public expenditure as a percentage of GDP from initial source of funds at primary to tertiary education is relatively high in New Zealand. (5 %, rank 4/25 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The proportion of private expenditure as a percentage of GDP from initial source of funds for primary to tertiary education is comparatively large in New Zealand. (1.2 %, rank 5/25 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Public and private expenditure in education

    In New Zealand, total public expenditure on primary through tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of total public expenditure is comparatively high. (13.5 %, rank 5/41 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, international expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of total expenditure on tertiary education is relatively low. (0 %, rank 27/31 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, international expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of total expenditure on primary to tertiary education is relatively low. (0 %, rank 27/31 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the relative share of private expenditure from initial sources of funds on primary to post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (15.1 %, rank 5/26 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The relative share of international expenditure on primary to tertiary education from initial source of funds is relatively small in New Zealand. (0 %, rank 26/29 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The relative share of international expenditure on tertiary education from initial source of funds in New Zealand is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0 %, rank 26/29 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Nature of expenditure

    In New Zealand, the share of capital expenditure on post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (1.8 %, rank 14/17 , 2018) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the share of current expenditure on post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively high . (98.2 %, rank 4/17 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The percentage of capital expenditure on tertiary education is relatively in New Zealand. (1.6 %, rank 31/32 , 2018) Download Indicator

    The percentage of current expenditure on tertiary education is relatively in New Zealand. (98.4 %, rank 1/32 , 2018) Download Indicator

    Who the teachers are

    The share of women among teaching staff in tertiary education (bachelor's, master's, doctorate or equivalent education) is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (51.6 %, rank 5/32 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The share of women among teaching staff in tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (51.9 %, rank 5/39 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The percentage of female teachers aged 50 or more in tertiary education is especially high in New Zealand. (49.3 %, rank 5/33 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Teachers' salaries progression

    It takes lower secondary teachers less time to progress through the salary scale in New Zealand compared to other OECD and partner countries. (7 Years, rank 27/27 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Ratio of student to teaching staff

    The number of pupils per teacher in pre-primary schools is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (5.9 Ratio, rank 37/38 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the number of students per teacher in public lower secondary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (16.4 Ratio, rank 5/40 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The ratio of students to teaching staff at the upper secondary level in government-dependent private institutions is especially low in New Zealand. (10.5 Ratio, rank 16/20 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Employment and educational attainment

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds without upper secondary education is comparatively high. (70.8 %, rank 2/44 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Employment by gender and educational attainment

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-old women with below upper secondary education is compartively high in New Zealand. (56.5 %, rank 4/43 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Unemployment and educational attainment

    The unemployment rate among 25-34 year-olds with a general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the lowest of all OECD countries and partner economies for which data are available. (3.9 %, rank 36/38 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-old men with vocational upper secondary or a post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (3.3 %, rank 29/33 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Earnings and educational attainment

    The earnings of adults without an upper secondary education are relatively high compared to those of adults with an upper secondary or a post-secondary non-tertiary education. (90 Index, rank 3/37 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The gap in average earnings between 25-64 year-old women with a short-cycle tertiary education degree and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (106 Index, rank 27/28 , 2019) Download Indicator

    In New Zealand, the proportional difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old men with a master's, doctoral or equivalent degree and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is low. (149 Index, rank 30/33 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Earnings, gender and educational attainment

    The proportion of male full-time earners among all earners aged 35 to 44 without upper secondary education is comparatively high. (77.9 %, rank 5/28 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old men with tertiary education and those with upper secondary education is quite low. (131 Index, rank 34/37 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old women with tertiary education and those with upper secondary education is quite low. (129 Index, rank 34/37 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Participation in education by gender

    The share of female students entering bachelor's programmes in New Zealand is relatively large. (57.9 %, rank 5/44 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The share of female students entering doctoral or equivalent programmes in New Zealand is one of the largest compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (55.7 %, rank 4/42 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Excluding international students, New Zealand has one of the lowest percentages of men expected to enter master's programmes before turning 30. (3.2 %, rank 31/33 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Excluding international students, New Zealand has one of the lowest percentages of women expected to enter master's programmes before the age of 30. (5.4 %, rank 31/33 , 2019) Download Indicator

    The proportion of men (excluding international students) expected to enter master's programmes before the age of 25 is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (0.4 %, rank 26/30 , 2019) Download Indicator

    Entrance

    Excluding international students, New Zealand has one of the lowest percentages of young people expected to enter master's programmes before turning 30. (4.3 %, rank 31/33 , 2019) Download Indicator


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    General findings
    
                        
    
                            
    
                                
    • One in five  adults across the OECD has not attained upper secondary education.
    •  In 2020, the unemployment rate of adults that had not completed upper secondary education was almost twice as high  as those with higher qualifications, and 27%  of these adults earn only at or below half the median on average across OECD countries.
    • In 2019, at least 10% of school-aged youth were not in school in about a quarter of OECD countries.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Attainment | Education policies: Labour market outcomes | Education policies: Access and Participation  | 
    
                            
    
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    •  In 2019, women made up 55%  of new entrants to tertiary education on average. If current patterns continue, it is expected that 46%  of young women will graduate with a tertiary degree for the first time before they turn 30, 15 percentage  points more than men.
    • Women also earn on average about 76-78% of men’s salaries regardless of educational attainment, although the gender gap narrowed by 2 percentage points  between 2013 and 2019.
    • Women are less likely than men to enter a STEM field of study, and the average share remained generally stable  between 2013 and 2019.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Gender | Education policies: Labour market outcomes | Education policies: Access and Participation  | 
    
                            
    
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    • On average across countries, expenditure on educational institutions amounted to approximately USD 9 300 per student at pre-primary level; USD 10 500  at primary, secondary and post-secondary non tertiary level; and USD 17 100  at tertiary level.
    • The public sector funds 90% of total expenditure on primary and secondary institutions on average, often compulsory in most OECD countries, compared to 83% at pre-primary level and 66% at tertiary level.
    •  In 2018, the OECD countries spent on average 4.9%  of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on primary to tertiary educational institutions.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Finance and Funding | How has private expenditure on tertiary education evolved over time and how does it affect participation in education? | How much would it cost to reduce class size by one student? | 
    
                            
    
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    • In 2019, less than 5% of pre-primary teachers were men, compared to 18% at primary level, 40% at upper secondary level and more than 50% at  tertiary level on average.
    • Between 2005 and 2020, on average across OECD countries and economies with available data for all reference years, the statutory salaries of teachers with 15 years of experience and the most prevalent qualifications increased by 3%  at primary level, 4%  at lower secondary level (general programmes) and 2%  at upper secondary level (general programmes).
    • In most countries, teachers above 50 years of age make up more than a third of the teaching force. 
    • Attracting male teachers to the profession can be difficult: While the average actual salary of female teachers is equal to or higher than the average salary of other full-time, tertiary-educated women, primary and secondary male teachers earn between 76% and 85%  of the average earnings of other full-time, tertiary-educated men.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Teachers | OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)  | Teachers' salaries evolution and how they compare to those of tertiary-educated workers | How do primary and secondary teachers compare? | 
    
                            
    
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    • On average across OECD countries, 87% of children aged 3-5 are enrolled in education on average across OECD countries compared to 25% for children below the age of 3.
    • There are 15 children for every teacher at pre-primary level on average across OECD countries.
    • Half of children enrolled in early childhood development services and a two-thirds of pre-primary children attend public institutions on average across OECD countries
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | Education policies: Access and Participation - Early Childhood Education | OECD Early Childhood Education and Care Project | Starting Strong 2017: Key OECD Indicators on Early Childhood Education and Care | Starting Strong V: Transitions from Early Childhood Education and Care to Primary Education | Who bears the cost of early childhood education and how does it affect enrolment? | Access to early childhood and the participation of women in the labour market | 
    
                            
    
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            Diagram of funding flows - New Zealand
            
    
            
    
        
    


        
		
    
            
    
			Click on the coverpage to see the full OECD iLibrary version
			
    
				Key
            
    
            Country Reviews for New Zealand
            
    
            
    
			
    
        
    
		
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
        
    
            Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced
            by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple
            most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in
            education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities, 
			such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey
            more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important
            areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please
            take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website
            for each publication.
    
            All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. 
            The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: http://www.oecd.org/about/membersandpartners/
            

    
	    *TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. 
		This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages.
		Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and 
		Annex 3 
		of EAG 2021 for more details about the data collections.
            

    
			B-S-J-Z (China) refers to the four PISA-participating provinces/municipalities of the People's Republic of China:
Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
			

    
            For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.