Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force in New Zealand
New Zealand: Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force was 0.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force in New Zealand, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force in New Zealand stood at 0.3%.
That represents a change of up 9.2% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force in New Zealand peaked at 0.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2019.
New Zealand ranks 143rd of 171 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.7% | — |
| 1991 | 0.6% | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 0.6% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | -11.4% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 0.5% | -5.1% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -4.3% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -9.5% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | +9.6% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -12.9% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | +9.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 140 East Timor 0.4% compare
- 141 Sierra Leone 0.4% compare
- 142 Canada 0.4% compare
- 144 Cameroon 0.3% compare
- 145 China 0.3% compare
- 146 Bangladesh 0.3% compare
More work & labour data for New Zealand
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0748 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0721 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0776 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.39 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.4877 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,200 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 511.04 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,819 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,994 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,812 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force in New Zealand?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force in New Zealand was 0.3% in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2019.
- How does New Zealand rank for armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force?
- New Zealand ranks 143rd out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.