Share of female employment by economic sector in New Zealand

New Zealand: Share of female employment by economic sector was 3.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
3.8%
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
122nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
7.7%
in 1991
All-time low
3.7%
in 2019
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Share of female employment by economic sector in New Zealand, 1991–2025

024681991200820251991: 7.7 %1992: 7.6 %1993: 7.5 %1994: 7.3 %1995: 6.6 %1996: 6.4 %1997: 5.6 %1998: 5.7 %1999: 6.7 %2000: 5.8 %2001: 6 %2002: 5.7 %2003: 5.4 %2004: 5.2 %2005: 5 %2006: 5.2 %2007: 4.9 %2008: 4.9 %2009: 4.4 %2010: 4.4 %2011: 4.6 %2012: 4.5 %2013: 4.2 %2014: 3.9 %2015: 4 %2016: 4.4 %2017: 4.3 %2018: 3.8 %2019: 3.7 %2020: 4.1 %2021: 4.3 %2022: 4.4 %2023: 4.2 %2024: 3.9 %2025: 3.8 %

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, share of female employment by economic sector in New Zealand stood at 3.8%.

That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of female employment by economic sector in New Zealand peaked at 7.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 2019.

New Zealand ranks 122nd 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 female employment by economic sector in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Share of female employment by economic sector in New Zealand, 1991 to 2025.
Year % Change
1991 7.7%
1992 7.6% -0.7%
1993 7.5% -1.7%
1994 7.3% -2.4%
1995 6.6% -10.2%
1996 6.4% -2.6%
1997 5.6% -12.6%
1998 5.7% +2.0%
1999 6.7% +17.5%
2000 5.8% -12.9%
2001 6.0% +3.5%
2002 5.7% -5.8%
2003 5.4% -4.3%
2004 5.2% -5.1%
2005 5.0% -3.3%
2006 5.2% +4.1%
2007 4.9% -5.0%
2008 4.9% -1.8%
2009 4.4% -9.8%
2010 4.4% +0.5%
2011 4.6% +5.4%
2012 4.5% -3.2%
2013 4.2% -5.4%
2014 3.9% -7.1%
2015 4.0% +0.3%
2016 4.4% +11.4%
2017 4.3% -2.2%
2018 3.8% -11.7%
2019 3.7% -2.6%
2020 4.1% +10.4%
2021 4.3% +5.3%
2022 4.4% +2.7%
2023 4.2% -6.1%
2024 3.9% -5.9%
2025 3.8% -2.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6.8% 5.6% 7.7% 9
2000s 5.3% 4.4% 6.0% 10
2010s 4.2% 3.7% 4.6% 10
2020s 4.1% 3.8% 4.4% 6

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 119 Mexico 4.5% compare
  2. 120 Latvia 3.8% compare
  3. 121 Algeria 3.8% compare
  4. 123 South Africa 3.8% compare
  5. 124 Uruguay 3.7% compare
  6. 125 Argentina 3.6% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More gender data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of female employment by economic sector in New Zealand?
Share of female employment by economic sector in New Zealand was 3.8% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of female employment by economic sector recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 1991.
What is the lowest share of female employment by economic sector recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 2019.
How does New Zealand rank for share of female employment by economic sector?
New Zealand ranks 122nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of female employment by economic sector rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. 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 female employment by economic sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of female employment by economic sector in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-female-workers-by-sector/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of female employment by economic sector
Unit
%
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

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