Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Self-employed, male (% of male employment) was 21.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in New Zealand, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 21.5% for self-employed, male (% of male employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in New Zealand peaked at 27.6% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 21.5%, in 2025.
That places New Zealand 132nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 27.2% | — |
| 1992 | 27.5% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 27.6% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 27.5% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 27.4% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 27.3% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 27.2% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 27.1% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 26.9% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 26.7% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 26.5% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 26.2% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 25.9% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 25.6% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 25.3% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 24.9% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 24.6% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 24.5% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 24.4% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 24.3% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 24.3% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 24.3% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 24.2% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 24.1% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 24.0% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 23.8% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 23.6% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 23.4% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 23.1% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 23.2% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 22.6% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 22.1% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 21.8% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 21.7% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 21.5% | -1.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 21.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.6%, 1.3× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 21.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 39.6%, 54% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.3% | 26.9% | 27.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 25.5% | 24.4% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.9% | 23.1% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.1% | 21.5% | 23.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 129 Mauritius 22.5% compare
- 130 Montenegro 22.3% compare
- 131 New Caledonia 21.7% compare
- 133 Slovakia 21.0% compare
- 134 French Polynesia 20.6% compare
- 135 Netherlands 20.4% 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 self-employed, male (% of male employment) in New Zealand?
- Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in New Zealand was 21.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 27.6% in 1993.
- What is the lowest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.5% in 2025.
- How does New Zealand rank for self-employed, male (% of male employment)?
- New Zealand ranks 132nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.