New Zealand: Economic freedom, overall index

The latest value from 2026 is 78 index points, unchanged from 78 index points in 2025. In comparison, the world average is 60 index points, based on data from 174 countries. Historically, the average for New Zealand from 1996 to 2026 is 81 index points. The minimum value, 78 index points, was reached in 1996 while the maximum of 84 index points was recorded in 2017. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

Definition: The Overall index of economic freedom has ten components grouped into four broad categories: Rule of Law; Limited Government; Regulatory Efficiency and Open Markets. The overall economic freedom is scored on a scale of 0 to 100, where 100 represents the maximum freedom.