New Zealand vs Spain: Share of children who were born outside of marriage
New Zealand
48.7%
in 2021
Spain
47.6%
in 2020
New Zealand rank
16th
Spain rank
18th
Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time
- New Zealand
- Spain
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 48.7% against 47.6% in Spain, a difference of 1.1%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1960 it was New Zealand ahead.
New Zealand ranks 16th and Spain ranks 18th of 42 countries.
New Zealand has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.8% | 1.8% | 8.0% | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 16.7% | 1.9% | 14.8% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 25.9% | 6.8% | 19.1% | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 39.3% | 11.8% | 27.4% | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 45.6% | 26.0% | 19.5% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 47.4% | 42.8% | 4.5% | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 48.3% | 47.6% | 0.7% | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children who were born outside of marriage, New Zealand or Spain?
- New Zealand, at 48.7% against 47.6% in Spain as of 2021.
- What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between New Zealand and Spain?
- 1.1%, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and Spain?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2020.
- How do New Zealand and Spain rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- New Zealand ranks 16th and Spain ranks 18th of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of all children born to mothers who were not married at the time of birth.