Number of suicides in New Zealand
New Zealand: Number of suicides was 611.59 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Number of suicides in New Zealand, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 611.59 deaths for number of suicides in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is up 6.6% on the previous year and up 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of suicides in New Zealand peaked at 611.59 deaths in 2021 and was at its lowest, 483.94 deaths, in 2000.
That places New Zealand 97th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Number of suicides in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 483.94 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 538.63 deaths | +11.3% |
| 2002 | 489.18 deaths | -9.2% |
| 2003 | 550.42 deaths | +12.5% |
| 2004 | 517.92 deaths | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 536.43 deaths | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 549.95 deaths | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 517.88 deaths | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 526.19 deaths | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 492.93 deaths | -6.3% |
| 2010 | 544.94 deaths | +10.6% |
| 2011 | 498.86 deaths | -8.5% |
| 2012 | 556.83 deaths | +11.6% |
| 2013 | 538.21 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 526.72 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 546.24 deaths | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 578.76 deaths | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 604.87 deaths | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 564.29 deaths | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 583.78 deaths | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 573.65 deaths | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 611.59 deaths | +6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 520.35 deaths | 483.94 deaths | 550.42 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 554.35 deaths | 498.86 deaths | 604.87 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 592.62 deaths | 573.65 deaths | 611.59 deaths | 2 |
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 suicides in New Zealand?
- Number of suicides in New Zealand was 611.59 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of suicides recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 611.59 deaths in 2021.
- What is the lowest number of suicides recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 483.94 deaths in 2000.
- How does New Zealand rank for number of suicides?
- New Zealand ranks 97th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is number of suicides rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Number of suicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from self-harm in both sexes.