Productivity: output per hour worked in New Zealand
New Zealand: Productivity: output per hour worked was 49.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
49.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
31st
of 130 countries
All-time high
51.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2021
All-time low
23.43 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 1979
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Productivity: output per hour worked in New Zealand, 1970–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 49.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour for productivity: output per hour worked in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, productivity: output per hour worked in New Zealand peaked at 51.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2021 and was at its lowest, 23.43 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, in 1979.
That places New Zealand 31st out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Productivity: output per hour worked in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 23.94 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | — |
| 1971 | 24.08 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 25.37 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.4% |
| 1973 | 26.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +5.8% |
| 1974 | 26.68 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 25.68 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 26.14 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 25 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -4.4% |
| 1978 | 23.51 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -6.0% |
| 1979 | 23.43 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 23.65 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 25.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.1% |
| 1982 | 25.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 25.82 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 26.96 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 25.89 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -4.0% |
| 1986 | 27.59 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.6% |
| 1987 | 28.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 31.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +8.5% |
| 1989 | 32.51 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 32.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 32.79 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 33.27 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 34.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 34.83 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 35.15 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 35.93 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 37.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 38.21 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 39.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 39.76 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 40.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 40.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 40.57 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 39.09 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 39.87 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 39.95 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 42.53 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +6.5% |
| 2008 | 43.13 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 44.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 46.06 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 47.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 49.03 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 48.37 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 48.19 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 47.74 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 49.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 48.97 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 47.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 49.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 50.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 51.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 50.34 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 49.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | -1.6% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 49.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is below the median for high income countries, which is 51.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 96% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 49.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, 2.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 25.07 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 23.43 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 26.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.22 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 23.65 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 32.51 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.33 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 32.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 39.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.04 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 39.09 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 44.9 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.31 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 46.06 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 49.54 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 49.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 51.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 28 Hong Kong 51.52 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 29 Slovenia 51.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 30 Czechia 50.68 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 32 Japan 49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 33 Lithuania 48 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
- 34 Romania 47.08 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 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 productivity: output per hour worked in New Zealand?
- Productivity: output per hour worked in New Zealand was 49.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest productivity: output per hour worked recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 51.1 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2021.
- What is the lowest productivity: output per hour worked recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.43 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 1979.
- How does New Zealand rank for productivity: output per hour worked?
- New Zealand ranks 31st out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is productivity: output per hour worked rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Productivity: output per hour worked. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.