Compensation of employees in New Zealand

New Zealand: Compensation of employees was 21.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
21.5%
Change on year
down 6.9%
World rank
91st
of 155 countries
All-time high
27.3%
in 2002
All-time low
17.2%
in 1984
Years of data
39
1972–2022

Compensation of employees in New Zealand, 1972–2022

01020301972199720221972: 25.1 % of expense1973: 25.1 % of expense1974: 25.3 % of expense1975: 23.6 % of expense1976: 23.3 % of expense1977: 21.8 % of expense1978: 21.7 % of expense1979: 22.1 % of expense1980: 23.2 % of expense1981: 21.9 % of expense1982: 19.9 % of expense1983: 18.8 % of expense1984: 17.2 % of expense1985: 17.8 % of expense1986: 18 % of expense1987: 17.2 % of expense1988: 17.3 % of expense2001: 25.4 % of expense2002: 27.3 % of expense2003: 24.2 % of expense2004: 25.4 % of expense2005: 25.6 % of expense2006: 25.8 % of expense2007: 25 % of expense2008: 26.5 % of expense2009: 24.4 % of expense2010: 24.2 % of expense2011: 20.5 % of expense2012: 23.8 % of expense2013: 24 % of expense2014: 24.2 % of expense2015: 24.5 % of expense2016: 24.4 % of expense2017: 24.3 % of expense2018: 24.3 % of expense2019: 24.9 % of expense2020: 21.9 % of expense2021: 23.1 % of expense2022: 21.5 % of expense

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.

Analysis

In 2022, compensation of employees in New Zealand stood at 21.5%.

That represents a change of down 6.9% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, compensation of employees in New Zealand peaked at 27.3% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 17.2%, in 1984.

New Zealand ranks 91st of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Compensation of employees in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Compensation of employees (% of expense) in New Zealand, 1972 to 2022.
Year % of expense Change
1972 25.1%
1973 25.1% -0.3%
1974 25.3% +1.0%
1975 23.6% -6.8%
1976 23.3% -1.4%
1977 21.8% -6.2%
1978 21.7% -0.4%
1979 22.1% +1.5%
1980 23.2% +5.2%
1981 21.9% -5.8%
1982 19.9% -8.8%
1983 18.8% -5.6%
1984 17.2% -8.7%
1985 17.8% +3.9%
1986 18.0% +0.8%
1987 17.2% -4.3%
1988 17.3% +0.7%
2001 25.4% +46.4%
2002 27.3% +7.7%
2003 24.2% -11.5%
2004 25.4% +4.9%
2005 25.6% +1.0%
2006 25.8% +0.9%
2007 25.0% -3.4%
2008 26.5% +6.2%
2009 24.4% -7.9%
2010 24.2% -1.0%
2011 20.5% -15.1%
2012 23.8% +15.9%
2013 24.0% +0.9%
2014 24.2% +0.7%
2015 24.5% +1.3%
2016 24.4% -0.5%
2017 24.3% -0.3%
2018 24.3% -0.1%
2019 24.9% +2.7%
2020 21.9% -12.0%
2021 23.1% +5.5%
2022 21.5% -6.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 23.5% 21.7% 25.3% 8
1980s 19.0% 17.2% 23.2% 9
2000s 25.5% 24.2% 27.3% 9
2010s 23.9% 20.5% 24.9% 10
2020s 22.2% 21.5% 23.1% 3

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 88 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 22.2% compare
  2. 89 Myanmar 22.0% compare
  3. 90 Equatorial Guinea 21.7% compare
  4. 92 Uzbekistan 21.3% compare
  5. 93 Portugal 21.1% compare
  6. 94 Türkiye 20.9% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More public sector data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is compensation of employees in New Zealand?
Compensation of employees in New Zealand was 21.5% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest compensation of employees recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 27.3% in 2002.
What is the lowest compensation of employees recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 17.2% in 1984.
How does New Zealand rank for compensation of employees?
New Zealand ranks 91st out of 155 countries with data for 2022.
Is compensation of employees rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Compensation of employees (% of expense). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Compensation of employees in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/compensation-of-employees-percent-of-expense/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Compensation of employees (% of expense)
Unit
% of expense
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
196 places, 5,286 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Compensation of employees is defined as the total remuneration, in cash or in kind, payable by an enterprise to an employee in return for work done by the latter during the accounting period. This indicator is expressed as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.