Government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index in New Zealand
New Zealand: Government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index was 0.849 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.849
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
13th
of 175 countries
All-time high
0.893
in 2009
All-time low
0.269
in 1853
Years of data
173
1853–2025
Government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index in New Zealand, 1853–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 0.849 for government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index in New Zealand peaked at 0.893 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.269, in 1853.
New Zealand ranks 13th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 173 years of available data.
Government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1853 | 0.269 | — |
| 1854 | 0.32 | +19.0% |
| 1855 | 0.32 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 0.397 | +24.1% |
| 1857 | 0.474 | +19.4% |
| 1858 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1859 | 0.467 | -1.5% |
| 1860 | 0.467 | +0.0% |
| 1861 | 0.498 | +6.6% |
| 1862 | 0.502 | +0.8% |
| 1863 | 0.502 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 0.502 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 0.502 | +0.0% |
| 1866 | 0.499 | -0.6% |
| 1867 | 0.498 | -0.2% |
| 1868 | 0.499 | +0.2% |
| 1869 | 0.5 | +0.2% |
| 1870 | 0.5 | +0.0% |
| 1871 | 0.516 | +3.2% |
| 1872 | 0.516 | +0.0% |
| 1873 | 0.516 | +0.0% |
| 1874 | 0.516 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 0.516 | +0.0% |
| 1876 | 0.517 | +0.2% |
| 1877 | 0.517 | +0.0% |
| 1878 | 0.517 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 0.572 | +10.6% |
| 1880 | 0.57 | -0.3% |
| 1881 | 0.571 | +0.2% |
| 1882 | 0.573 | +0.4% |
| 1883 | 0.573 | +0.0% |
| 1884 | 0.572 | -0.2% |
| 1885 | 0.57 | -0.3% |
| 1886 | 0.57 | +0.0% |
| 1887 | 0.571 | +0.2% |
| 1888 | 0.575 | +0.7% |
| 1889 | 0.573 | -0.3% |
| 1890 | 0.567 | -1.0% |
| 1891 | 0.573 | +1.1% |
| 1892 | 0.573 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 0.761 | +32.8% |
| 1894 | 0.762 | +0.1% |
| 1895 | 0.762 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 0.763 | +0.1% |
| 1897 | 0.775 | +1.6% |
| 1898 | 0.775 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 0.775 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.783 | +1.0% |
| 1901 | 0.793 | +1.3% |
| 1902 | 0.794 | +0.1% |
| 1903 | 0.796 | +0.3% |
| 1904 | 0.796 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.796 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.797 | +0.1% |
| 1907 | 0.797 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.797 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.798 | +0.1% |
| 1910 | 0.798 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.798 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.781 | -2.1% |
| 1913 | 0.783 | +0.3% |
| 1914 | 0.772 | -1.4% |
| 1915 | 0.767 | -0.6% |
| 1916 | 0.769 | +0.3% |
| 1917 | 0.767 | -0.3% |
| 1918 | 0.767 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.796 | +3.8% |
| 1920 | 0.802 | +0.8% |
| 1921 | 0.798 | -0.5% |
| 1922 | 0.804 | +0.8% |
| 1923 | 0.806 | +0.2% |
| 1924 | 0.806 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.805 | -0.1% |
| 1926 | 0.802 | -0.4% |
| 1927 | 0.802 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.803 | +0.1% |
| 1929 | 0.807 | +0.5% |
| 1930 | 0.814 | +0.9% |
| 1931 | 0.814 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.8 | -1.7% |
| 1933 | 0.81 | +1.3% |
| 1934 | 0.81 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.802 | -1.0% |
| 1936 | 0.787 | -1.9% |
| 1937 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.782 | -0.6% |
| 1940 | 0.774 | -1.0% |
| 1941 | 0.774 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.774 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.774 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.774 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.774 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.794 | +2.6% |
| 1947 | 0.802 | +1.0% |
| 1948 | 0.802 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.801 | -0.1% |
| 1950 | 0.8 | -0.1% |
| 1951 | 0.768 | -4.0% |
| 1952 | 0.786 | +2.3% |
| 1953 | 0.786 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.793 | +0.9% |
| 1955 | 0.804 | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 0.804 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.804 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.809 | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 0.809 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.82 | +1.4% |
| 1961 | 0.822 | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 0.829 | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 0.833 | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 0.831 | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 0.831 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.831 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.833 | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 0.833 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.833 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.847 | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 0.847 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.847 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.845 | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 0.85 | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.853 | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 0.847 | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 0.849 | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 0.846 | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 0.849 | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 0.849 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.85 | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 0.853 | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 0.862 | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 0.863 | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 0.863 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.864 | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 0.866 | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 0.866 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.869 | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 0.871 | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 0.871 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.874 | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 0.872 | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 0.872 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.879 | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 0.88 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 0.88 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.88 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.881 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 0.881 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.881 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.88 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 0.88 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.879 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 0.878 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.878 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.88 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 0.893 | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.891 | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 0.893 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 0.887 | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 0.886 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 0.883 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.883 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.879 | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 0.888 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 0.885 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 0.882 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.874 | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 0.878 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.88 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 0.868 | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 0.849 | -2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.3887 | 0.269 | 0.474 | 7 |
| 1860s | 0.4969 | 0.467 | 0.502 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.5203 | 0.5 | 0.572 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.5718 | 0.57 | 0.575 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.7086 | 0.567 | 0.775 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.7947 | 0.783 | 0.798 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.7798 | 0.767 | 0.798 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.8035 | 0.798 | 0.807 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.7993 | 0.782 | 0.814 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.7843 | 0.774 | 0.802 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.7963 | 0.768 | 0.809 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.8296 | 0.82 | 0.833 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.8481 | 0.845 | 0.853 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8585 | 0.849 | 0.866 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8748 | 0.869 | 0.88 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8811 | 0.878 | 0.893 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8868 | 0.879 | 0.893 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8718 | 0.849 | 0.882 | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More social development data for New Zealand
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 2,148 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 58 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 1 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 58 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index in New Zealand?
- Government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index in New Zealand was 0.849 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.893 in 2009.
- What is the lowest government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.269 in 1853.
- How does New Zealand rank for government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index?
- New Zealand ranks 13th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Government effectiveness vs electoral democracy index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 173 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).