Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 5.26 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in New Zealand, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in New Zealand stood at 5.26.
That represents a change of up 10.5% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in New Zealand peaked at 5.43 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.32, in 2022.
New Zealand ranks 39th of 74 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 5.43 | — |
| 2015 | 5.41 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 5.15 | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 4.74 | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 4.33 | -8.6% |
| 2019 | 4.11 | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 4.6 | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 3.8 | -17.5% |
| 2022 | 3.32 | -12.7% |
| 2023 | 3.77 | +13.6% |
| 2024 | 4.76 | +26.4% |
| 2025 | 5.26 | +10.5% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 5.26 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.87, 1.1× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 5.26 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.63, 1.4× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.86 | 4.11 | 5.43 | 6 |
| 2020s | 4.25 | 3.32 | 5.26 | 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 unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in New Zealand?
- Unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in New Zealand was 5.26 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 5.43 in 2014.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.32 in 2022.
- How does New Zealand rank for unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- New Zealand ranks 39th out of 74 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.