Homicides, by sex of the victim in New Zealand
New Zealand: Homicides, by sex of the victim was 29 homicides in 2022. ▲ Rising
Homicides, by sex of the victim in New Zealand, 1995–2022
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in homicides.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides, by sex of the victim in New Zealand is 29 homicides, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 81.2% on the previous year and up 38.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides, by sex of the victim in New Zealand peaked at 33 homicides in 2019 and was at its lowest, 10.59 homicides, in 1999.
That places New Zealand 66th out of 138 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Homicides, by sex of the victim in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 11.27 homicides | — |
| 1996 | 16.24 homicides | +44.1% |
| 1997 | 23.82 homicides | +46.7% |
| 1998 | 21.49 homicides | -9.8% |
| 1999 | 10.59 homicides | -50.7% |
| 2000 | 20.8 homicides | +96.4% |
| 2001 | 21.17 homicides | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 26.57 homicides | +25.5% |
| 2003 | 14.14 homicides | -46.8% |
| 2004 | 11.94 homicides | -15.6% |
| 2005 | 26.74 homicides | +124.0% |
| 2006 | 17.34 homicides | -35.2% |
| 2007 | 19 homicides | +9.6% |
| 2008 | 23 homicides | +21.1% |
| 2009 | 25 homicides | +8.7% |
| 2010 | 22.52 homicides | -9.9% |
| 2011 | 15 homicides | -33.4% |
| 2012 | 21 homicides | +40.0% |
| 2013 | 12 homicides | -42.9% |
| 2014 | 13.68 homicides | +14.0% |
| 2015 | 16 homicides | +16.9% |
| 2016 | 22 homicides | +37.5% |
| 2017 | 13 homicides | -40.9% |
| 2018 | 19 homicides | +46.2% |
| 2019 | 33 homicides | +73.7% |
| 2020 | 14 homicides | -57.6% |
| 2021 | 16 homicides | +14.3% |
| 2022 | 29 homicides | +81.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.68 homicides | 10.59 homicides | 23.82 homicides | 5 |
| 2000s | 20.57 homicides | 11.94 homicides | 26.74 homicides | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.72 homicides | 12 homicides | 33 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.67 homicides | 14 homicides | 29 homicides | 3 |
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 homicides, by sex of the victim in New Zealand?
- Homicides, by sex of the victim in New Zealand was 29 homicides in 2022, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides, by sex of the victim recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 33 homicides in 2019.
- What is the lowest homicides, by sex of the victim recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.59 homicides in 1999.
- How does New Zealand rank for homicides, by sex of the victim?
- New Zealand ranks 66th out of 138 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicides, by sex of the victim rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides, by sex of the victim. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of intentional homicidesof female victims .