Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 18.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in New Zealand, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 18.4% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in New Zealand peaked at 23.7% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 18.4%, in 2025.
New Zealand ranks 130th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23.4% | — |
| 1992 | 23.7% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 23.7% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 23.7% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 23.6% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 23.4% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 23.3% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 23.2% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 23.0% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 22.7% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 22.5% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 22.0% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 21.3% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 21.0% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 20.7% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 20.6% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 20.5% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 20.5% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 20.5% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 20.4% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 20.4% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 20.3% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 20.1% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 20.0% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 19.7% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 19.5% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 19.6% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 19.4% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 19.1% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 18.8% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 18.6% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 18.4% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.4% | 23.0% | 23.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 21.5% | 20.5% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.2% | 19.5% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.0% | 18.4% | 19.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
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, total (% of total employment) in New Zealand?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in New Zealand was 18.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 23.7% in 1993.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.4% in 2025.
- How does New Zealand rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- New Zealand ranks 130th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. 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, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.