Child homicide rate in New Zealand
New Zealand: Child homicide rate was 0.7912 deaths per 100,000 people in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
0.7912 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 230.8%
World rank
35th
of 113 countries
All-time high
2.22 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1977
All-time low
0.1706 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1971
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Child homicide rate in New Zealand, 1950–2018
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for child homicide rate in New Zealand is 0.7912 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2018.
The figure is up 230.8% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, child homicide rate in New Zealand peaked at 2.22 deaths per 100,000 people in 1977 and was at its lowest, 0.1706 deaths per 100,000 people, in 1971.
New Zealand ranks 35th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 69 years of available data.
Child homicide rate in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.8662 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 0.5664 deaths per 100,000 people | -34.6% |
| 1952 | 0.4084 deaths per 100,000 people | -27.9% |
| 1953 | 0.5247 deaths per 100,000 people | +28.5% |
| 1954 | 0.5062 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1955 | 0.6112 deaths per 100,000 people | +20.7% |
| 1956 | 0.7085 deaths per 100,000 people | +15.9% |
| 1957 | 0.6849 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1958 | 1.1 deaths per 100,000 people | +60.9% |
| 1959 | 0.9596 deaths per 100,000 people | -12.9% |
| 1960 | 1.04 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.0% |
| 1961 | 0.908 deaths per 100,000 people | -12.4% |
| 1962 | 0.5869 deaths per 100,000 people | -35.4% |
| 1963 | 0.4745 deaths per 100,000 people | -19.2% |
| 1964 | 1.38 deaths per 100,000 people | +191.8% |
| 1965 | 1.26 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.7% |
| 1966 | 0.8033 deaths per 100,000 people | -36.5% |
| 1967 | 1.23 deaths per 100,000 people | +53.2% |
| 1968 | 0.7004 deaths per 100,000 people | -43.1% |
| 1969 | 1.3 deaths per 100,000 people | +86.3% |
| 1970 | 1.29 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 0.1706 deaths per 100,000 people | -86.8% |
| 1972 | 0.9163 deaths per 100,000 people | +437.0% |
| 1973 | 0.7477 deaths per 100,000 people | -18.4% |
| 1974 | 0.9834 deaths per 100,000 people | +31.5% |
| 1975 | 0.8988 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.6% |
| 1976 | 1.3 deaths per 100,000 people | +45.1% |
| 1977 | 2.22 deaths per 100,000 people | +70.5% |
| 1978 | 1.66 deaths per 100,000 people | -25.1% |
| 1979 | 1.02 deaths per 100,000 people | -39.0% |
| 1980 | 0.773 deaths per 100,000 people | -23.8% |
| 1981 | 0.609 deaths per 100,000 people | -21.2% |
| 1982 | 0.7048 deaths per 100,000 people | +15.7% |
| 1983 | 0.71 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 0.8933 deaths per 100,000 people | +25.8% |
| 1985 | 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people | +20.8% |
| 1986 | 1.46 deaths per 100,000 people | +35.4% |
| 1987 | 1.38 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.8% |
| 1988 | 1.02 deaths per 100,000 people | -26.0% |
| 1989 | 1.49 deaths per 100,000 people | +46.5% |
| 1990 | 1.12 deaths per 100,000 people | -24.8% |
| 1991 | 1.19 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.1% |
| 1992 | 1.65 deaths per 100,000 people | +38.8% |
| 1993 | 0.9165 deaths per 100,000 people | -44.5% |
| 1994 | 1.55 deaths per 100,000 people | +69.3% |
| 1995 | 0.9958 deaths per 100,000 people | -35.8% |
| 1996 | 1.52 deaths per 100,000 people | +52.8% |
| 1997 | 1.41 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.5% |
| 1998 | 1.14 deaths per 100,000 people | -19.2% |
| 1999 | 1.04 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.1% |
| 2000 | 0.9547 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.6% |
| 2001 | 1.04 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.9% |
| 2002 | 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people | +15.4% |
| 2003 | 0.8479 deaths per 100,000 people | -29.3% |
| 2004 | 1.09 deaths per 100,000 people | +28.5% |
| 2005 | 1.17 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 1.58 deaths per 100,000 people | +35.1% |
| 2007 | 0.8279 deaths per 100,000 people | -47.6% |
| 2008 | 0.8251 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 1.56 deaths per 100,000 people | +89.6% |
| 2010 | 0.8218 deaths per 100,000 people | -47.5% |
| 2011 | 0.9078 deaths per 100,000 people | +10.5% |
| 2012 | 0.6647 deaths per 100,000 people | -26.8% |
| 2013 | 0.2456 deaths per 100,000 people | -63.0% |
| 2014 | 0.7268 deaths per 100,000 people | +195.9% |
| 2015 | 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people | +67.7% |
| 2016 | 0.4842 deaths per 100,000 people | -60.3% |
| 2017 | 0.2392 deaths per 100,000 people | -50.6% |
| 2018 | 0.7912 deaths per 100,000 people | +230.8% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 0.7912 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.3231 deaths per 100,000 people, 2.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 0.7912 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1576 deaths per 100,000 people, 5.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Child homicide rate in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | +437.0% | 0.1706 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.9163 deaths per 100,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.6938 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.4084 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.1 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.9694 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.4745 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.38 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.12 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.1706 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.22 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.01 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.609 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.49 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.25 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.9165 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.65 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.11 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.8251 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.58 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6778 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.2392 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people | 9 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More social development data for New Zealand
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,148 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 58 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 58 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is child homicide rate in New Zealand?
- Child homicide rate in New Zealand was 0.7912 deaths per 100,000 people in 2018, according to WHO Mortality Database (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest child homicide rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 2.22 deaths per 100,000 people in 1977.
- What is the lowest child homicide rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1706 deaths per 100,000 people in 1971.
- How does New Zealand rank for child homicide rate?
- New Zealand ranks 35th out of 113 countries with data for 2018.
- Is child homicide rate rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Child homicide rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 69 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Reported deaths from homicide per 100,000 people aged under 20, based on the underlying cause listed on death certificates.