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MacroNew Zealand

Unemployment rate in New Zealand

How hard is it to have a job there?

New Zealand's unemployment rate is 5.08 % — #59 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

5.08%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in New Zealand over time

6.93 %5.12 %3.30 %6.93 % · 20123.30 % · 20222000: 6.13 %2001: 5.43 %2002: 5.28 %2003: 4.75 %2004: 4.00 %2005: 3.81 %2006: 3.86 %2007: 3.66 %2008: 4.17 %2009: 6.12 %2010: 6.56 %2011: 6.49 %2012: 6.93 %2013: 5.84 %2014: 5.43 %2015: 5.42 %2016: 5.15 %2017: 4.74 %2018: 4.33 %2019: 4.11 %2020: 4.59 %2021: 3.78 %2022: 3.30 %2023: 3.73 %2024: 4.72 %2025: 5.08 %2000201220255.08 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#59 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
52 %
65 of 124 countries
Latest move
▲ 0.35 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
1.86 pp
peak 6.93 % in 2012
Full series
▼ 1.05 pp
since 2000

vs median 5.25 %: −0.18 pp (better)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %New Zealand: ahead of 52 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentNew Zealand 5.08 %0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. New Zealand is ahead of 52 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs New Zealand
57 Nicaragua5.04 %−0.04 pp
58 Malawi5.07 %−0.00 pp
59 New Zealand5.08 %—
60 Dominican Republic5.09 %+0.02 pp
61 Peru5.12 %+0.04 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about New Zealand

Average monthly salaryGDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare New Zealand with another country →Everything about New Zealand →
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