Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in New Zealand

New Zealand: Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates was 5.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
5.3%
Change on year
up 10.4%
World rank
94th
of 185 countries
All-time high
10.7%
in 1992
All-time low
3.3%
in 2022
Years of data
40
1986–2025

Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in New Zealand, 1986–2025

468101986200520251986: 4.1 %1987: 4.2 %1988: 5.7 %1989: 7.2 %1990: 8 %1991: 10.6 %1992: 10.7 %1993: 9.8 %1994: 8.4 %1995: 6.5 %1996: 6.3 %1997: 6.8 %1998: 7.7 %1999: 7 %2000: 6.1 %2001: 5.4 %2002: 5.3 %2003: 4.8 %2004: 4 %2005: 3.8 %2006: 3.9 %2007: 3.6 %2008: 4 %2009: 5.9 %2010: 6.2 %2011: 6 %2012: 6.5 %2013: 5.8 %2014: 5.4 %2015: 5.4 %2016: 5.1 %2017: 4.7 %2018: 4.3 %2019: 4.1 %2020: 4.6 %2021: 3.8 %2022: 3.3 %2023: 3.8 %2024: 4.8 %2025: 5.3 %

Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

New Zealand recorded 5.3% for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in 2025.

The figure is up 10.4% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in New Zealand peaked at 10.7% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2022.

New Zealand ranks 94th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 91 Rwanda 5.4% compare
  2. 92 Fiji 5.4% compare
  3. 93 Uzbekistan 5.3% compare
  4. 95 Mauritius 5.2% compare
  5. 96 Nicaragua 5.2% compare
  6. 97 Dominican Republic 5.2% compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in New Zealand?
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in New Zealand was 5.3% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 10.7% in 1992.
What is the lowest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2022.
How does New Zealand rank for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates?
New Zealand ranks 94th out of 185 countries with data for 2025.
Is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates 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, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates
Unit
%
Source
Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
185 places, 5,169 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.