New Zealand Labor Force Participation
Labor force participation rate SL.TLF.CACT.ZS
Overview
New Zealand's labor force participation stood at 70.35% in 2025, a decline of +0.20pp from 2024. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 70.61% by 2026. New Zealand ranked 26th globally.
Data & projection
| Year | Labor Force Participation | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028* trend | 70.51% | - | - |
| 2027* trend | 70.56% | - | - |
| 2026* trend | 70.61% | - | - |
| 2025 | 70.35% | −0.20pp | #26 |
| 2024 | 70.55% | −0.95pp | #27 |
| 2023 | 71.50% | +0.57pp | #25 |
| 2022 | 70.93% | +0.53pp | #27 |
| 2021 | 70.40% | +0.53pp | #28 |
| 2020 | 69.86% | −0.31pp | #24 |
| 2019 | 70.17% | −0.33pp | #28 |
| 2018 | 70.51% | +0.03pp | #29 |
| 2017 | 70.48% | +0.93pp | #29 |
| 2016 | 69.55% | +1.15pp | #34 |
| 2015 | 68.40% | +0.09pp | #38 |
| 2014 | 68.31% | +0.90pp | #39 |
| 2013 | 67.41% | −0.23pp | #43 |
| 2012 | 67.64% | −0.26pp | #41 |
| 2011 | 67.90% | +0.36pp | #38 |
Analysis
New Zealand's labor force participation was 70.35% in 2025, a decline of −0.20pp from 2024. Based on trends, estimated 70.61% by 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
New Zealand's labor force participation was 70.35% in 2025. Ranked 26th globally. This represents a 0.3% decrease from the previous year.
New Zealand's labor force participation peaked at 71.50% in 2023.
The lowest labor force participation in New Zealand was 62.87% in 1993.
New Zealand ranks 26th globally in labor force participation as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SL.TLF.CACT.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
New Zealand's labor force participation is projected to reach 70.61% by 2026 based on trend extrapolation.
The labor force participation of New Zealand in 2025 was 70.35%. This ranks 26th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_new-zealand_labor-force-participation,
title = {New Zealand Labor Force Participation},
url = {https://historysaid.com/new-zealand/labor-force-participation},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}