Population by labor force status in New Zealand
New Zealand: Population by labor force status was 938,910 people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population by labor force status in New Zealand, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2025, population by labor force status in New Zealand stood at 938,910 people.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in New Zealand peaked at 964,243 people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 807,024 people, in 1991.
New Zealand ranks 126th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 845,605 people | 807,024 people | 877,456 people | 9 |
| 2000s | 889,079 people | 878,039 people | 901,529 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 923,040 people | 907,064 people | 956,275 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 953,043 people | 938,910 people | 964,243 people | 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 population by labor force status in New Zealand?
- Population by labor force status in New Zealand was 938,910 people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 964,243 people in 2020.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 807,024 people in 1991.
- How does New Zealand rank for population by labor force status?
- New Zealand ranks 126th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).