Freedom in New Zealand
Where New Zealand sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. New Zealand has a figure for 55 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.927 | 2025 | 16 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.885 | 2025 | 21 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.948 | 2025 | 9 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.986 | 2025 | 5 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.884 | 2025 | 22 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.847 | 2025 | 35 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 2.946 | 2025 | 9 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 1.721 | 2025 | 30 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 1.573 | 2025 | 23 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 96 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 97.5 | 2023 | 19 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 100 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 1.000 | 2025 | 33 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 1.000 | 2025 | 40 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 59.0 | 2025 | 4 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 40.0 | 2025 | 6 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 29.5% | 2024 | 80 of 83 |
| Foreign investment inflows | 1.4% | 2025 | 51 of 87 |
| Regulatory quality | 84.0 | 2024 | 3 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $48.2K | 2025 | 31 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 0.5% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 2.8% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 5.1% | 2025 | 82 of 163 |
| Government debt | 52.0% | 2024 | — |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 93.5% | 2024 | 31 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 38.0 | 2024 | 21 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 130.1 | 2024 | 40 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.849 | 2025 | 14 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.787 | 2025 | 14 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.989 | 2025 | 5 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.975 | 2025 | 4 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.884 | 2025 | 32 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.014 | 2025 | 5 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.656 | 2025 | 97 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.937 | 2025 | 8 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 86.4 | 2024 | 5 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 86.9 | 2024 | 7 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 87.3 | 2024 | 4 of 169 |
| Political stability | 85.5 | 2024 | 7 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.938 | 2023 | 15 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 82.0 | 2024 | 23 of 170 |
| Secondary school enrolment | 114.2% | 2024 | 9 of 85 |
| Government spending on education | 5.2% | 2023 | — |
| Health spending | 10.1% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 12.6% | 2023 | 30 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 7.0 | 2023 | 34 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 45.5% | 2025 | 10 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 66.1% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.57 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 84.0% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 1.0 | 2024 | 30 of 168 |
| Population | 5.3M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 6.01 | 2024 | 129 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 28.9% | 2021 | 77 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 | 59 of 169 |
What is missing
5 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for New Zealand in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for New Zealand, not a zero. Who publishes what