Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 5.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in New Zealand, 1986–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 5.3% for unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in 2025.
The figure is up 10.4% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in New Zealand peaked at 10.7% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2022.
That places New Zealand 96th 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 40 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 4.1% | — |
| 1987 | 4.2% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 5.7% | +37.3% |
| 1989 | 7.2% | +26.7% |
| 1990 | 8.0% | +10.1% |
| 1991 | 10.6% | +33.1% |
| 1992 | 10.7% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 9.8% | -8.2% |
| 1994 | 8.4% | -14.7% |
| 1995 | 6.5% | -22.7% |
| 1996 | 6.3% | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 6.8% | +8.7% |
| 1998 | 7.7% | +12.8% |
| 1999 | 7.0% | -8.9% |
| 2000 | 6.1% | -12.8% |
| 2001 | 5.4% | -11.2% |
| 2002 | 5.3% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 4.8% | -10.1% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | -15.6% |
| 2005 | 3.8% | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 3.9% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | -6.4% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | +12.0% |
| 2009 | 5.9% | +45.3% |
| 2010 | 6.2% | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 6.0% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 6.5% | +7.5% |
| 2013 | 5.8% | -9.9% |
| 2014 | 5.4% | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 5.4% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 5.1% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | -8.6% |
| 2019 | 4.1% | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 4.6% | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | -17.5% |
| 2022 | 3.3% | -12.7% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | +13.6% |
| 2024 | 4.8% | +26.4% |
| 2025 | 5.3% | +10.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 5.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.9%, 1.1× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 5.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.5%, 1.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.3% | 4.1% | 7.2% | 4 |
| 1990s | 8.2% | 6.3% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.7% | 3.6% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.4% | 4.1% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.3% | 3.3% | 5.3% | 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, total (% of total labor force) in New Zealand?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in New Zealand was 5.3% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 10.7% in 1992.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2022.
- How does New Zealand rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- New Zealand ranks 96th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.