Unemployment rate,Percent in New Zealand

New Zealand: Unemployment rate,Percent was 5.3% in 2025. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2025)
5.3%
Change on year
up 10.9%
World rank
35th
of 71 countries
All-time high
10.6%
in 1992
All-time low
3.3%
in 2022
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Unemployment rate,Percent in New Zealand, 1990–2025

468101990200720251990: 81991: 10.61992: 10.61993: 9.81994: 8.31995: 6.41996: 6.31997: 6.81998: 7.71999: 72000: 6.12001: 5.52002: 5.32003: 4.82004: 42005: 3.82006: 3.82007: 3.62008: 42009: 5.92010: 6.22011: 62012: 6.52013: 5.92014: 5.42015: 5.42016: 5.12017: 4.72018: 4.32019: 4.12020: 4.62021: 3.82022: 3.32023: 3.82024: 4.82025: 5.3

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2025, unemployment rate,percent in New Zealand stood at 5.3%.

The figure is up 10.9% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rate,percent in New Zealand peaked at 10.6% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2022.

That places New Zealand 35th out of 71 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 8.2% 6.3% 10.6% 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. 32 Brazil 5.9% compare
  2. 33 Philippines 5.7% compare
  3. 34 Poland 5.4% compare
  4. 36 Bulgaria 5.1% compare
  5. 37 Dominican Republic 5.1% compare
  6. 38 Slovak Republic 5.0% compare

See the full ranking of 80 places β†’

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rate,percent in New Zealand?
Unemployment rate,percent in New Zealand was 5.3% in 2025, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest unemployment rate,percent recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 10.6% in 1992.
What is the lowest unemployment rate,percent recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2022.
How does New Zealand rank for unemployment rate,percent?
New Zealand ranks 35th out of 71 countries with data for 2025.
Is unemployment rate,percent rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Unemployment rate,Percent,,,. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rate,Percent,,,
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
80 places, 2,196 data points, 1990–2026
Last refreshed