New Zealand Unemployment Rate
Unemployment as % of total labor force SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS
Overview
New Zealand's unemployment rate stood at 5.08% in 2025, a rise of +0.30pp from 2024. The IMF projects 5.17% by 2025. New Zealand ranked 90th globally.
Data & projection
| Year | Unemployment Rate | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2030* IMF | 4.40% | - | - |
| 2029* IMF | 4.38% | - | - |
| 2028* IMF | 4.52% | - | - |
| 2027* IMF | 4.48% | - | - |
| 2026* IMF | 5.09% | - | - |
| 2025* IMF | 5.17% | - | - |
| 2025 | 5.08% | +0.30pp | #90 |
| 2024 | 4.72% | +0.95pp | #86 |
| 2023 | 3.73% | +0.41pp | #69 |
| 2022 | 3.30% | −0.48pp | #45 |
| 2021 | 3.78% | −0.82pp | #42 |
| 2020 | 4.60% | +0.47pp | #60 |
| 2019 | 4.11% | −0.22pp | #66 |
| 2018 | 4.34% | −0.42pp | #72 |
| 2017 | 4.74% | −0.44pp | #76 |
| 2016 | 5.15% | −0.28pp | #81 |
| 2015 | 5.42% | −0.01pp | #83 |
| 2014 | 5.43% | −0.40pp | #81 |
| 2013 | 5.84% | −0.61pp | #87 |
| 2012 | 6.93% | +0.88pp | #97 |
| 2011 | 6.49% | +0.29pp | #92 |
Analysis
New Zealand's unemployment rate was 5.08% in 2025, a rise of +0.30pp from 2024. IMF projects 5.17% by 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
New Zealand's unemployment rate was 5.08% in 2025. Ranked 90th globally. This represents a 6.3% increase from the previous year.
New Zealand's unemployment rate peaked at 10.67% in 1992.
The lowest unemployment rate in New Zealand was 3.30% in 2022.
New Zealand ranks 90th globally in unemployment rate as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
New Zealand's unemployment rate is projected to reach 5.17% by 2025 based on IMF projection.
The unemployment rate of New Zealand in 2025 was 5.08%. This ranks 90th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_new-zealand_unemployment-rate,
title = {New Zealand Unemployment Rate},
url = {https://historysaid.com/new-zealand/unemployment-rate},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}