Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 5.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in New Zealand, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in New Zealand is 5.4%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in New Zealand peaked at 10.8% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2025.
That places New Zealand 129th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.8% | — |
| 1992 | 10.8% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 10.6% | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 10.4% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 9.7% | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 9.4% | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 8.6% | -8.2% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 9.4% | +10.3% |
| 2000 | 8.7% | -7.6% |
| 2001 | 9.1% | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 8.8% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 8.2% | -7.2% |
| 2004 | 7.6% | -7.5% |
| 2005 | 7.2% | -5.4% |
| 2006 | 7.2% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 7.2% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 7.0% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 6.6% | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 6.9% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 6.9% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 6.8% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 6.4% | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 6.2% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 6.1% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 6.6% | +7.8% |
| 2017 | 6.3% | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 5.9% | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 5.8% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 6.0% | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 6.1% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 6.0% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 5.6% | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 5.5% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 5.4% | -2.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 5.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.4%, 2.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 5.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23.6%, 23% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.8% | 8.5% | 10.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.8% | 6.6% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.4% | 5.8% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 5.4% | 6.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More agriculture & rural data for New Zealand
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -10.07 % change on previous year (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,976 current US$ per person (2023)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.275 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.16 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.0% (2023)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in New Zealand?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in New Zealand was 5.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 10.8% in 1992.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2025.
- How does New Zealand rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- New Zealand ranks 129th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).