Homicide rate (World Health) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Homicide rate was 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
1.22 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
154th
of 194 countries
All-time high
1.93 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2009
All-time low
1.03 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2014
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in New Zealand, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people for homicide rate in 2021.
That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in New Zealand peaked at 1.93 deaths per 100,000 people in 2009 and was at its lowest, 1.03 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2014.
That places New Zealand 154th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.47 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 1.41 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 1.82 deaths per 100,000 people | +29.1% |
| 2003 | 1.43 deaths per 100,000 people | -21.4% |
| 2004 | 1.23 deaths per 100,000 people | -14.0% |
| 2005 | 1.8 deaths per 100,000 people | +46.3% |
| 2006 | 1.6 deaths per 100,000 people | -11.1% |
| 2007 | 1.37 deaths per 100,000 people | -14.4% |
| 2008 | 1.23 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.2% |
| 2009 | 1.93 deaths per 100,000 people | +56.9% |
| 2010 | 1.25 deaths per 100,000 people | -35.2% |
| 2011 | 1.24 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 1.3 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 1.28 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 1.03 deaths per 100,000 people | -19.5% |
| 2015 | 1.37 deaths per 100,000 people | +33.0% |
| 2016 | 1.29 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 1.32 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 1.18 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.06 deaths per 100,000 people, 1.2× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.82 deaths per 100,000 people, 32% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.53 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.23 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.93 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.25 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.03 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.37 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.18 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 151 United Kingdom 1.28 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 152 Uzbekistan 1.27 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 153 Belgium 1.23 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 154 Denmark 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 156 Romania 1.13 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 157 Bulgaria 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people compare
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 homicide rate in New Zealand?
- Homicide rate in New Zealand was 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1.93 deaths per 100,000 people in 2009.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.03 deaths per 100,000 people in 2014.
- How does New Zealand rank for homicide rate?
- New Zealand ranks 154th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicide rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes, per 100,000 people.