Female labor force participation rates in New Zealand
New Zealand: Female labor force participation rates was 66.08 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
66.08
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
21st
of 186 countries
All-time high
66.92
in 2023
All-time low
53.29
in 1993
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Female labor force participation rates in New Zealand, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, female labor force participation rates in New Zealand stood at 66.08.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rates in New Zealand peaked at 66.92 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 53.29, in 1993.
New Zealand ranks 21st of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rates in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 53.35 | — |
| 1991 | 53.67 | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 53.38 | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 53.29 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 54.42 | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 55.19 | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 56.51 | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 56.4 | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 56.3 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 56.62 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 56.72 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 57.6 | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 58.3 | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 58.61 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 59.11 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 60.09 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 60.66 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 61.15 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 61.45 | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 61.52 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 61.39 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 61.87 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 62.02 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 61.92 | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 62.83 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 62.85 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 64.05 | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 64.93 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 65.22 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 65.31 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 64.69 | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 65.6 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 66.37 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 66.92 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 66.25 | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 66.08 | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 54.91 | 53.29 | 56.62 | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.52 | 56.72 | 61.52 | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.24 | 61.39 | 65.31 | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.98 | 64.69 | 66.92 | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
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 female labor force participation rates in New Zealand?
- Female labor force participation rates in New Zealand was 66.08 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rates recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 66.92 in 2023.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rates recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.29 in 1993.
- How does New Zealand rank for female labor force participation rates?
- New Zealand ranks 21st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rates rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Female labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).