Economic Outlook No 116 — Dependent employment, total economy in New Zealand
New Zealand: Economic Outlook No 116 — Dependent employment, total economy was 2.35 million in 2026. ▲ Rising
Economic Outlook No 116 — Dependent employment, total economy in New Zealand, 1989–2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Analysis
The most recent figure for economic outlook no 116 — dependent employment, total economy in New Zealand is 2.35 million, measured in 2026. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, economic outlook no 116 — dependent employment, total economy in New Zealand peaked at 2.35 million in 2026 and was at its lowest, 1.20 million, in 1992.
New Zealand ranks 25th of 27 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Economic Outlook No 116 — Dependent employment, total economy in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1.26 million | — |
| 1990 | 1.23 million | -2.6% |
| 1991 | 1.24 million | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 1.20 million | -3.2% |
| 1993 | 1.21 million | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 1.26 million | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 1.32 million | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 1.37 million | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 1.37 million | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 1.41 million | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 1.45 million | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 1.48 million | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 1.52 million | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 1.57 million | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 1.61 million | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 1.66 million | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 1.72 million | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 1.77 million | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 1.79 million | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 1.84 million | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 1.79 million | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 1.80 million | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 1.82 million | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 1.82 million | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.89 million | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 1.97 million | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 2.02 million | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 2.03 million | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 2.10 million | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 2.14 million | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 2.17 million | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 2.15 million | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 2.21 million | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 2.28 million | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 2.31 million | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 2.31 million | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 2.33 million | +0.6% |
| 2026 | 2.35 million | +0.9% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 2.35 million is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.60 million, 51% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.26 million | 1.26 million | 1.26 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.31 million | 1.20 million | 1.45 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.68 million | 1.48 million | 1.84 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.98 million | 1.80 million | 2.17 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.28 million | 2.15 million | 2.35 million | 7 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More economy & growth data for New Zealand
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.71 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.37 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 23.86 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0001 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 4.48 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 3.61 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 104.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0137 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 677.46 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 27.59 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is economic outlook no 116 — dependent employment, total economy in New Zealand?
- Economic outlook no 116 — dependent employment, total economy in New Zealand was 2.35 million in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest economic outlook no 116 — dependent employment, total economy recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 2.35 million in 2026.
- What is the lowest economic outlook no 116 — dependent employment, total economy recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.20 million in 1992.
- How does New Zealand rank for economic outlook no 116 — dependent employment, total economy?
- New Zealand ranks 25th out of 27 countries with data for 2026.
- Is economic outlook no 116 — dependent employment, total economy rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Economic Outlook No 116 — Dependent employment, total economy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
The OECD Economic Outlook presents the OECD’s analysis of the major global economic trends and prospects for the next two years. The Outlook puts forward a consistent set of projections for output, employment, government spending, prices and current balances based on a review of each member country and of the induced effect on each of them on international developments. OECD (2024), OECD Economic Outlook No 116 (Edition 2024/2) EO116 Database documentation EO116 Last historical points OECD Economic Outlook website: https://www.oecd.org/economic-outlook/ Contact: eco.outlook@oecd.org