New Zealand vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of children who were born outside of marriage
New Zealand
48.7%
in 2021
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
51.3%
in 2021
New Zealand rank
16th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
15th
Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 51.3% against 48.7% in New Zealand, a difference of 2.6%.
That makes United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's figure about 1.1 times New Zealand's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
New Zealand ranks 16th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 15th of 42 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 5 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.8% | 7.0% | 2.8% | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 16.7% | 9.0% | 7.7% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 26.3% | 19.2% | 7.1% | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 39.3% | 33.5% | 5.8% | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 45.6% | 42.7% | 2.9% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 47.4% | 47.8% | 0.4% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2020s | 48.5% | 50.1% | 1.7% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 51.3% against 48.7% in New Zealand as of 2021.
- What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 2.6%, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2021.
- How do New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- New Zealand ranks 16th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 15th 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.