Unemployment rate in New Zealand
New Zealand: Unemployment rate was 5.08 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5.08
Change on year
up 7.5%
World rank
96th
of 186 countries
All-time high
10.67
in 1992
All-time low
3.3
in 2022
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in New Zealand, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 5.08 for unemployment rate in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.5% on the previous year and down 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in New Zealand peaked at 10.67 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 3.3, in 2022.
That places New Zealand 96th out of 186 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.
Unemployment rate in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.61 | — |
| 1992 | 10.67 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 9.8 | -8.1% |
| 1994 | 8.35 | -14.8% |
| 1995 | 6.46 | -22.7% |
| 1996 | 6.29 | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 6.86 | +9.0% |
| 1998 | 7.72 | +12.6% |
| 1999 | 7.02 | -9.0% |
| 2000 | 6.13 | -12.7% |
| 2001 | 5.43 | -11.4% |
| 2002 | 5.28 | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 4.75 | -10.2% |
| 2004 | 4 | -15.6% |
| 2005 | 3.81 | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 3.86 | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 3.66 | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 4.17 | +13.8% |
| 2009 | 6.12 | +46.9% |
| 2010 | 6.56 | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 6.49 | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 6.93 | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 5.84 | -15.8% |
| 2014 | 5.43 | -7.0% |
| 2015 | 5.42 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 5.15 | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 4.74 | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 4.33 | -8.5% |
| 2019 | 4.11 | -5.2% |
| 2020 | 4.59 | +11.8% |
| 2021 | 3.78 | -17.8% |
| 2022 | 3.3 | -12.6% |
| 2023 | 3.73 | +13.2% |
| 2024 | 4.72 | +26.5% |
| 2025 | 5.08 | +7.5% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 5.08 is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.04, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 5.08 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.05, 1.7× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.2 | 6.29 | 10.67 | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.72 | 3.66 | 6.13 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.5 | 4.11 | 6.93 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.2 | 3.3 | 5.08 | 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 in New Zealand?
- Unemployment rate in New Zealand was 5.08 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 10.67 in 1992.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3 in 2022.
- How does New Zealand rank for unemployment rate?
- New Zealand ranks 96th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. 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).