Employment in services (% of total employment) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Employment in services (% of total employment) was 74.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in services (% of total employment) in New Zealand, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 74.6% for employment in services (% of total employment) in 2025.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in services (% of total employment) in New Zealand peaked at 74.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 64.4%, in 1994.
That places New Zealand 38th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in services (% of total employment) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 65.5% | — |
| 1992 | 66.0% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 65.7% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 64.4% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 65.0% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 65.6% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 67.3% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 67.2% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 67.5% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 68.0% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 68.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 68.4% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 69.4% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 69.6% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 70.7% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 70.3% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 70.7% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 71.3% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 72.2% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 72.2% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 72.7% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 72.9% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 73.3% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 72.9% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 71.9% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 73.1% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 73.0% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 74.1% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 74.7% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 73.6% | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 73.9% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 73.2% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 73.9% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 74.4% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 74.6% | +0.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 74.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 74.5%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 74.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55.3%, 1.4× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 66.0% | 64.4% | 67.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 69.8% | 68.0% | 72.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.1% | 71.9% | 74.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.9% | 73.2% | 74.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 35 Saint Lucia 76.3% compare
- 36 Finland 75.7% compare
- 37 Mauritius 74.7% compare
- 39 Saudi Arabia 74.4% compare
- 40 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 74.4% compare
- 41 Dominican Republic 74.0% 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 employment in services (% of total employment) in New Zealand?
- Employment in services (% of total employment) in New Zealand was 74.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 74.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.4% in 1994.
- How does New Zealand rank for employment in services (% of total employment)?
- New Zealand ranks 38th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in services (% of total employment) rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The services sector consists of wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate, and business services; and community, social, and personal services, in accordance with divisions 6-9 (ISIC 2) or categories G-Q (ISIC 3) or categories G-U (ISIC 4).