Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services was 5.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in New Zealand, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in New Zealand is 5.4%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in New Zealand peaked at 10.8% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2025.
New Zealand ranks 129th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | 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% |
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
- 126 Poland 6.2% compare
- 127 Chile 6.1% compare
- 128 Oman 5.9% compare
- 130 South Africa 5.4% compare
- 131 Russian Federation 5.1% compare
- 132 Republic of Korea 5.1% compare
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 share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in New Zealand?
- Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services in New Zealand was 5.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 10.8% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2025.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services?
- New Zealand ranks 129th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services 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, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture, industry, and services. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of total employment working in the agriculture sector.