Incidence of low and high pay — Low pay incidence in New Zealand
New Zealand: Incidence of low and high pay — Low pay incidence was 4.99 Percentage of full-time employment in 2025. ▼ Falling
Incidence of low and high pay — Low pay incidence in New Zealand, 1997–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of full-time employment.
Analysis
In 2025, incidence of low and high pay — low pay incidence in New Zealand stood at 4.99 Percentage of full-time employment.
That represents a change of up 46.8% on the previous year and down 64.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, incidence of low and high pay — low pay incidence in New Zealand peaked at 14.61 Percentage of full-time employment in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1.6 Percentage of full-time employment, in 2021.
That places New Zealand 36th out of 37 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Incidence of low and high pay — Low pay incidence in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Percentage of full-time employment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 13.27 Percentage of full-time employment | — |
| 1998 | 13.12 Percentage of full-time employment | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 12.28 Percentage of full-time employment | -6.4% |
| 2000 | 11.74 Percentage of full-time employment | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 12.23 Percentage of full-time employment | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 13.63 Percentage of full-time employment | +11.5% |
| 2003 | 13.22 Percentage of full-time employment | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 13.16 Percentage of full-time employment | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 12.44 Percentage of full-time employment | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 14.61 Percentage of full-time employment | +17.5% |
| 2007 | 13.44 Percentage of full-time employment | -8.0% |
| 2008 | 12.53 Percentage of full-time employment | -6.7% |
| 2009 | 12.87 Percentage of full-time employment | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 12.72 Percentage of full-time employment | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 13.69 Percentage of full-time employment | +7.6% |
| 2012 | 13.56 Percentage of full-time employment | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 14.08 Percentage of full-time employment | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 13.86 Percentage of full-time employment | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 13.89 Percentage of full-time employment | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 11.19 Percentage of full-time employment | -19.5% |
| 2017 | 12.09 Percentage of full-time employment | +8.1% |
| 2018 | 8.5 Percentage of full-time employment | -29.7% |
| 2019 | 7.01 Percentage of full-time employment | -17.6% |
| 2020 | 8.26 Percentage of full-time employment | +17.8% |
| 2021 | 1.6 Percentage of full-time employment | -80.6% |
| 2022 | 2.7 Percentage of full-time employment | +68.8% |
| 2023 | 3.42 Percentage of full-time employment | +26.6% |
| 2024 | 3.4 Percentage of full-time employment | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 4.99 Percentage of full-time employment | +46.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.89 Percentage of full-time employment | 12.28 Percentage of full-time employment | 13.27 Percentage of full-time employment | 3 |
| 2000s | 12.99 Percentage of full-time employment | 11.74 Percentage of full-time employment | 14.61 Percentage of full-time employment | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.06 Percentage of full-time employment | 7.01 Percentage of full-time employment | 14.08 Percentage of full-time employment | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.06 Percentage of full-time employment | 1.6 Percentage of full-time employment | 8.26 Percentage of full-time employment | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is incidence of low and high pay — low pay incidence in New Zealand?
- Incidence of low and high pay — low pay incidence in New Zealand was 4.99 Percentage of full-time employment in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest incidence of low and high pay — low pay incidence recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 14.61 Percentage of full-time employment in 2006.
- What is the lowest incidence of low and high pay — low pay incidence recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6 Percentage of full-time employment in 2021.
- How does New Zealand rank for incidence of low and high pay — low pay incidence?
- New Zealand ranks 36th out of 37 countries with data for 2025.
- Is incidence of low and high pay — low pay incidence rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Incidence of low and high pay — Low pay incidence. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This dataset contains series on the incidence of low-paid workers defined as the share of full-time workers earning less than two-thirds of gross median earnings of all full-time workers; the incidence of high-paid workers defined as the share of full-time workers earning more than one-and-half time gross median earnings of all full-time workers.