Number of child deaths in New Zealand
New Zealand: Number of child deaths was 280 deaths in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
280 deaths
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
138th
of 199 countries
All-time high
1,712 deaths
in 1959
All-time low
280 deaths
in 2024
Years of data
70
1955–2024
Number of child deaths in New Zealand, 1955–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2024, number of child deaths in New Zealand stood at 280 deaths. That is the lowest value across all 70 years on record.
The figure is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of child deaths in New Zealand peaked at 1,712 deaths in 1959 and was at its lowest, 280 deaths, in 2024.
New Zealand ranks 138th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of child deaths in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 1,679 deaths | — |
| 1956 | 1,689 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1957 | 1,695 deaths | +0.4% |
| 1958 | 1,703 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 1,712 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 1,707 deaths | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 1,692 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 1,644 deaths | -2.8% |
| 1963 | 1,578 deaths | -4.0% |
| 1964 | 1,501 deaths | -4.9% |
| 1965 | 1,415 deaths | -5.7% |
| 1966 | 1,359 deaths | -4.0% |
| 1967 | 1,336 deaths | -1.7% |
| 1968 | 1,327 deaths | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 1,313 deaths | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 1,286 deaths | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 1,277 deaths | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 1,256 deaths | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 1,191 deaths | -5.2% |
| 1974 | 1,126 deaths | -5.5% |
| 1975 | 1,061 deaths | -5.8% |
| 1976 | 999 deaths | -5.8% |
| 1977 | 951 deaths | -4.8% |
| 1978 | 889 deaths | -6.5% |
| 1979 | 844 deaths | -5.1% |
| 1980 | 811 deaths | -3.9% |
| 1981 | 777 deaths | -4.2% |
| 1982 | 750 deaths | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 728 deaths | -2.9% |
| 1984 | 718 deaths | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 709 deaths | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 697 deaths | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 690 deaths | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 686 deaths | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 672 deaths | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 650 deaths | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 622 deaths | -4.3% |
| 1992 | 590 deaths | -5.1% |
| 1993 | 560 deaths | -5.1% |
| 1994 | 528 deaths | -5.7% |
| 1995 | 502 deaths | -4.9% |
| 1996 | 481 deaths | -4.2% |
| 1997 | 463 deaths | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 441 deaths | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 427 deaths | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 418 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 404 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 386 deaths | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 376 deaths | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 379 deaths | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 377 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 376 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 390 deaths | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 400 deaths | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 394 deaths | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 389 deaths | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 381 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 368 deaths | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 353 deaths | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 335 deaths | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 330 deaths | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 326 deaths | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 316 deaths | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 308 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 303 deaths | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 298 deaths | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 293 deaths | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 291 deaths | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 286 deaths | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 280 deaths | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1,696 deaths | 1,679 deaths | 1,712 deaths | 5 |
| 1960s | 1,487 deaths | 1,313 deaths | 1,707 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,088 deaths | 844 deaths | 1,286 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 723.8 deaths | 672 deaths | 811 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 526.4 deaths | 427 deaths | 650 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 390 deaths | 376 deaths | 418 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 340.9 deaths | 303 deaths | 389 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 289.6 deaths | 280 deaths | 298 deaths | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More health data for New Zealand
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.94 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4815 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,116 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 33 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.1187 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0277 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.018 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of child deaths in New Zealand?
- Number of child deaths in New Zealand was 280 deaths in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of child deaths recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1,712 deaths in 1959.
- What is the lowest number of child deaths recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 280 deaths in 2024.
- How does New Zealand rank for number of child deaths?
- New Zealand ranks 138th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of child deaths rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of child deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 70 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths of children aged under 5 .