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Policy profile on 12 axes

How New Zealand Is Governed

New Zealand is a unitary state that scores 0.79 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 42% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is abolished and same-sex marriage is legal. Below: the laws, institutions and public spending of New Zealand, scored on the same 12 axes as the test, with every indicator and source.

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Policy profile

The 12 axes, indicator by indicator

This profile describes the country's policy regime (laws, institutions and public spending) from published indices, not the views of its people or its current leaders. Data as of October 2026; each value shows its own year.

Ownership+0.60PublicPrivate4 indicators and sources
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): Typical of OECD economies: state utilities, rail, post, some energy (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Property Rights (0-100): 85.4 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Investment Freedom (0-100): 70 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Financial Freedom (0-100): 80 (2026). Source
Markets+0.65PlannedFree5 indicators and sources
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Business Freedom (0-100): 89.1 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Labor Freedom (0-100): 68.6 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Monetary Freedom (0-100): 77.4 (2026). Source
  • Regulatory Quality, estimate (-2.5 to 2.5): 1.85 (2025). Source
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): Typical of OECD economies: state utilities, rail, post, some energy (2026). Source
Welfare-0.40SharedSelf-reliant4 indicators and sources
  • General government total expenditure (% of GDP): 41.55 (2025). Source
  • Public social spending (% of GDP): 24.63 (2022). Source
  • Domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP): 7.87 (2023). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Tax Burden (0-100): 66.1 (2026). Source
Authority-0.90DemocraticStrong leader2 indicators and sources
  • Liberal Democracy Index (0-1): 0.79 (2025). Source
  • Judicial constraints on the executive (0-1): 0.98 (2025). Source
Security-0.60LibertyOrder4 indicators and sources
  • Freedom in the World civil liberties score (0-60): 59 (2025). Source
  • World Press Freedom Index score (0-100): 77.38 (2026). Source
  • Death penalty status: Abolished for all crimes (2025). Source
  • Prison population per 100,000 people: 199 (2025). Source
Structure+1.00LocalCentral2 indicators and sources
  • Territorial form of the state: Unitary state (2025). Source
  • Strong elected regional governments index (0-1): 0 (2025). Source
Morality-0.90ProgressiveTraditional3 indicators and sources
  • Same-sex marriage law (0 marriage, 1 civil union or partnership, 2 no recognition, 3 constitutional or statutory ban): Same-sex marriage legal (2026). Source
  • Abortion law: On request (within a gestational limit) (2025). Source
  • Women, Business and the Law: Legal Framework Index (0-100): 90 (2025). Source
Religion-0.75SecularReligious2 indicators and sources
  • Religion and the state: Separation: no official or funded religion (2025). Source
  • Blasphemy or religious-insult law in force: None (2025). Source
Technology0.00EmbraceCaution3 indicators and sources
  • Research and development expenditure (% of GDP): 1.55 (2023). Source
  • Nuclear power policy: No nuclear power, no legal ban (2025). Source
  • Genetically modified crop cultivation: None grown, no ban (2025). Source
Culture-0.60MulticulturalNational identity4 indicators and sources
  • International migrant stock (% of population): 28.16 (2024). Source
  • Citizenship by birth in the territory: Conditional (a parent's residence or status, or at majority) (2025). Source
  • Residence required for ordinary naturalization (years; 0 = no ordinary route): 5 years (2025). Source
  • Dual citizenship for naturalizing adults: Allowed (2025). Source
Trade-0.65GlobalProtected4 indicators and sources
  • Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products (%): 1.7 (2022). Source
  • Tariff rate, applied, simple mean, all products (%): 2.27 (2022). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Trade Freedom (0-100): 90.6 (2026). Source
  • Trade (exports + imports) (% of GDP): 50.66 (2024). Source
Foreign policy-0.90CooperationStrength5 indicators and sources
  • Military expenditure (% of GDP): 1.1 (2025). Source
  • Military conscription: None: volunteer forces or no military (2025). Source
  • Nuclear weapons status (0 none, 1 considers, 2 pursues, 3 possesses): No nuclear weapons program (2023). Source
  • Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: State party (2026). Source
  • Collective defense commitments: Integrated military alliance (NATO, a US mutual defense treaty, ANZUS, CSTO) (2026). Australia and New Zealand remain bound by ANZUS; US obligations to New Zealand suspended since 1986. Source

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Policy neighbours

Governed most like New Zealand

Every other country with a profile, tinted by how close its laws, institutions and public spending are to those of New Zealand on the same 12 axes. The percentage uses the 12 Axes match formula.

  1. 1Luxembourg91%
  2. 2Ireland86%
  3. 3Iceland85%
  4. 4Netherlands85%
  5. 5Portugal84%
Least similarIran33%
World map of countries by how similar their policy regime is to New ZealandClosest: 1. Luxembourg 91%, 2. Ireland 86%, 3. Iceland 85%, 4. Netherlands 85%, 5. Portugal 84%, 6. Bulgaria 83%, 7. Slovenia 83%, 8. Czechia 82%, 9. France 81%, 10. Latvia 81%. Least similar: Iran 33%. Every country is in the list after the map.New Zealand
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  • 65 to 74%
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Figures from New Zealand

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FAQ

New Zealand: questions

How is New Zealand governed, on the 12 axes?

New Zealand is a unitary state that scores 0.79 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 42% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is abolished and same-sex marriage is legal. Its policy regime leans furthest toward Central on Structure (+1.00), Democratic on Authority (-0.90) and Cooperation on Foreign policy (-0.90), on a scale from -1 to +1.

Which countries are governed most like New Zealand?

On the same 12 axes, the closest policy regimes are Luxembourg (91%), Ireland (86%) and Iceland (85%). The furthest is Iran (33%). Matches use the same formula as the 12 Axes test.

Where does the data on New Zealand come from?

From 42 indicators dated 2022 to 2026, published by V-Dem, Freedom House, the Heritage Foundation, the IMF, the OECD, the World Bank, SIPRI, Reporters Without Borders, the World Prison Brief, UN DESA and others. Among them: a press freedom score of 77.4 out of 100 (RSF, 2026), 199 prisoners per 100,000 people (2025), military spending of 1.1% of GDP (SIPRI, 2025) and 28% of residents born abroad (UN DESA, 2024). Every value, year and source is listed in the profile above.

Does the profile describe what people in New Zealand think?

No. It describes the policy regime: laws, institutions and public spending. It does not measure public opinion or the speeches of the current government. To see which country is governed closest to your own views, take the 12 Axes test and open the country match on your result.

Which political figures from New Zealand are on PoliticalTests?

So far Jacinda Ardern, each placed on the 12 axes of the 12 Axes Political Test from their own speeches, writings and record, with sources on the profile page. More figures are added over time.

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