Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 89.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in New Zealand, 1986–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in New Zealand stood at 89.2%. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in New Zealand peaked at 89.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 68.8%, in 1986.
That places New Zealand 31st out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 68.8% | — |
| 1987 | 69.9% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 71.2% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 70.8% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 72.6% | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 73.4% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 73.8% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 73.6% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 74.7% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 75.3% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 76.7% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 76.8% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 77.4% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 78.0% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 78.0% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 78.9% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 79.2% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 80.4% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 80.3% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 81.0% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 81.1% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 81.6% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 82.6% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 83.2% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 83.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 84.5% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 85.0% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 85.3% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 85.2% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 85.6% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 85.7% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 86.2% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 87.2% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 86.4% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 87.5% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 88.2% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 88.2% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 88.8% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 89.2% | +0.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 89.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 85.1%, 1.0× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 89.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 78.7%, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 70.2% | 68.8% | 71.2% | 4 |
| 1990s | 75.2% | 72.6% | 78.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.6% | 78.0% | 83.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.1% | 83.1% | 87.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.0% | 86.4% | 89.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 28 Finland 89.9% compare
- 29 Antigua and Barbuda 89.8% compare
- 30 Australia 89.2% compare
- 32 Norway 89.0% compare
- 33 United Kingdom 89.0% compare
- 34 Azerbaijan 88.9% 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 ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in New Zealand?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in New Zealand was 89.2% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 89.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.8% in 1986.
- How does New Zealand rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
- New Zealand ranks 31st out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate is the proportion of female labor force participation relative to male labor force participation. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population ages 15 and older. The labor force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed.