Homicides in New Zealand
New Zealand: Homicides was 66 deaths in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
66 deaths
Change on year
up 61.0%
World rank
58th
of 113 countries
All-time high
85 deaths
in 2009
All-time low
11 deaths
in 1956
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Homicides in New Zealand, 1950–2018
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 66 deaths for homicides in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 61.0% on the previous year and up 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in New Zealand peaked at 85 deaths in 2009 and was at its lowest, 11 deaths, in 1956.
New Zealand ranks 58th 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.
Homicides in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 20 deaths | — |
| 1951 | 23 deaths | +15.0% |
| 1952 | 20 deaths | -13.0% |
| 1953 | 17 deaths | -15.0% |
| 1954 | 18 deaths | +5.9% |
| 1955 | 23 deaths | +27.8% |
| 1956 | 11 deaths | -52.2% |
| 1957 | 15 deaths | +36.4% |
| 1958 | 24 deaths | +60.0% |
| 1959 | 25 deaths | +4.2% |
| 1960 | 24 deaths | -4.0% |
| 1961 | 25 deaths | +4.2% |
| 1962 | 19 deaths | -24.0% |
| 1963 | 15 deaths | -21.1% |
| 1964 | 33 deaths | +120.0% |
| 1965 | 29 deaths | -12.1% |
| 1966 | 20 deaths | -31.0% |
| 1967 | 37 deaths | +85.0% |
| 1968 | 20 deaths | -45.9% |
| 1969 | 31 deaths | +55.0% |
| 1970 | 35 deaths | +12.9% |
| 1971 | 25 deaths | -28.6% |
| 1972 | 30 deaths | +20.0% |
| 1973 | 25 deaths | -16.7% |
| 1974 | 44 deaths | +76.0% |
| 1975 | 33 deaths | -25.0% |
| 1976 | 34 deaths | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 55 deaths | +61.8% |
| 1978 | 58 deaths | +5.5% |
| 1979 | 49 deaths | -15.5% |
| 1980 | 40 deaths | -18.4% |
| 1981 | 42 deaths | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 41 deaths | -2.4% |
| 1983 | 51 deaths | +24.4% |
| 1984 | 38 deaths | -25.5% |
| 1985 | 66 deaths | +73.7% |
| 1986 | 73 deaths | +10.6% |
| 1987 | 65 deaths | -11.0% |
| 1988 | 58 deaths | -10.8% |
| 1989 | 72 deaths | +24.1% |
| 1990 | 78 deaths | +8.3% |
| 1991 | 66 deaths | -15.4% |
| 1992 | 82 deaths | +24.2% |
| 1993 | 51 deaths | -37.8% |
| 1994 | 70 deaths | +37.3% |
| 1995 | 45 deaths | -35.7% |
| 1996 | 68 deaths | +51.1% |
| 1997 | 68 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 57 deaths | -16.2% |
| 1999 | 51 deaths | -10.5% |
| 2000 | 55 deaths | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 53 deaths | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 70 deaths | +32.1% |
| 2003 | 56 deaths | -20.0% |
| 2004 | 49 deaths | -12.5% |
| 2005 | 73 deaths | +49.0% |
| 2006 | 65 deaths | -11.0% |
| 2007 | 57 deaths | -12.3% |
| 2008 | 53 deaths | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 85 deaths | +60.4% |
| 2010 | 54 deaths | -36.5% |
| 2011 | 54 deaths | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 57 deaths | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 55 deaths | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 46 deaths | -16.4% |
| 2015 | 62 deaths | +34.8% |
| 2016 | 59 deaths | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 41 deaths | -30.5% |
| 2018 | 66 deaths | +61.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 66 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 66 deaths is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 130.5 deaths, 51% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 19.6 deaths | 11 deaths | 25 deaths | 10 |
| 1960s | 25.3 deaths | 15 deaths | 37 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 38.8 deaths | 25 deaths | 58 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 54.6 deaths | 38 deaths | 73 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.6 deaths | 45 deaths | 82 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.6 deaths | 49 deaths | 85 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.89 deaths | 41 deaths | 66 deaths | 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 homicides in New Zealand?
- Homicides in New Zealand was 66 deaths in 2018, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 85 deaths in 2009.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 11 deaths in 1956.
- How does New Zealand rank for homicides?
- New Zealand ranks 58th out of 113 countries with data for 2018.
- Is homicides rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.5%. 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 (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Annual number of homicides.