Labor force participation rate in New Zealand
New Zealand: Labor force participation rate was 70.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate in New Zealand, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 70.4% for labor force participation rate in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in New Zealand peaked at 71.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 62.9%, in 1993.
New Zealand ranks 27th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 64.0% | 62.9% | 65.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.7% | 64.8% | 68.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.8% | 67.4% | 70.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.6% | 69.9% | 71.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More work & labour data for New Zealand
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 82.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 70.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.7% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 88.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 66.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 85.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 65.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in New Zealand?
- Labor force participation rate in New Zealand was 70.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 71.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.9% in 1993.
- How does New Zealand rank for labor force participation rate?
- New Zealand ranks 27th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. 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, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).