Legislative Corruption Score in New Zealand
New Zealand: Legislative Corruption Score was 1.89 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.89
Change on year
down 14.5%
World rank
13th
of 174 countries
All-time high
2.65
in 2021
All-time low
1.89
in 2025
Years of data
173
1853–2025
Legislative Corruption Score in New Zealand, 1853–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, legislative corruption score in New Zealand stood at 1.89. That is the lowest value across all 173 years on record.
The figure is down 14.5% on the previous year and down 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, legislative corruption score in New Zealand peaked at 2.65 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.89, in 2025.
That places New Zealand 13th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 173 years of available data.
Legislative Corruption Score in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1853 | 2.02 | — |
| 1854 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1857 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1858 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1859 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1860 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1861 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1862 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1866 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1867 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1868 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1869 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1870 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1871 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1872 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1873 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1874 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1876 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1877 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1878 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1881 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1883 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1884 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1886 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1887 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1888 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1891 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1892 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1897 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 2.02 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 2.26 | +12.0% |
| 1913 | 2.49 | +10.1% |
| 1914 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2.49 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.65 | +6.5% |
| 2022 | 2.65 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2.65 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2.21 | -16.6% |
| 2025 | 1.89 | -14.5% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 1.89 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.22, 1.6× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 1.89 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.3625, 5.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 2.02 | 2.02 | 2.02 | 7 |
| 1860s | 2.02 | 2.02 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 1870s | 2.02 | 2.02 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 1880s | 2.02 | 2.02 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 1890s | 2.02 | 2.02 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 1900s | 2.02 | 2.02 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 1910s | 2.38 | 2.02 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.43 | 1.89 | 2.65 | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 10 Netherlands 2.05 compare
- 11 Seychelles 1.99 compare
- 12 Belgium 1.92 compare
- 14 Finland 1.82 compare
- 15 Burkina Faso 1.73 compare
- 16 Australia 1.72 compare
More social development data for New Zealand
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,148 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 58 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 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 legislative corruption score in New Zealand?
- Legislative corruption score in New Zealand was 1.89 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest legislative corruption score recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 2.65 in 2021.
- What is the lowest legislative corruption score recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.89 in 2025.
- How does New Zealand rank for legislative corruption score?
- New Zealand ranks 13th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is legislative corruption score rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Legislative Corruption Score. 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).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which members of the legislature abuse their position for financial gain, such as bribes, government contracts, future employment, or stealing from the state. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.