Labour force participation in New Zealand
The ILO estimates that 70.4% of people aged 15 and over in New Zealand were in the labour force in 2025.
New Zealand, 2025
70.4%
Change from 2024
−0.2percentage points
World, 2025
60.8%
Median of OECD (38 countries), 2025
61.6%
Position in 2025
26th of 181
Labour force participation in New Zealand over time
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New Zealand
World
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of working-age population aged 15 and over. Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates). Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years. Dashed lines are projections.
| Period | New Zealand | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 70.4% | 60.8% |
| 2024 | 70.6% | 61.0% |
| 2023 | 71.5% | 61.0% |
| 2022 | 70.9% | 60.7% |
| 2021 | 70.4% | 60.4% |
| 2020 | 69.9% | 59.7% |
| 2019 | 70.2% | 61.0% |
| 2018 | 70.5% | 61.2% |
| 2017 | 70.5% | 61.3% |
| 2016 | 69.5% | 61.5% |
Flags: f Projection . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of −0.2 percentage points from 70.6% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 68.4%, the figure has changed by +2.0 percentage points.
- Among the 181 countries with data for 2025, New Zealand has the 26th highest value.
- The figure for the world in 2025 was 60.8%.
More for New Zealand
All statistics for New Zealand
Women's labour force participation
66.1%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment-to-population ratio
66.8%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of the unemployment rate
5.1%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of youth unemployment
14.4%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment in agriculture
5.4%
2025 · World Bank
Employment in industry
19.9%
2025 · World Bank