Assault mortality
Age differences
Over the period 2001 to 2005, young people aged 15 to 24 had a higher five-year average annual assault death rate than any other age group.
The rate for the 15 to 24 age group was 2.2 deaths per 100,000 population. The second highest rate was in the 25 to 44 age group, with a rate of 2.0 deaths per 100,000 population.
| Assault deaths per 100,000 in age group | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five-year period | 0-14 years | 15-24 years | 25-44 years | 45-64 years | 65 years + |
| 1986–1990 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| 1991–1995 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.0 |
| 1996–2000 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| 2001–2005 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
Source: Ministry of Health, New Zealand Health Information Service.
Note: 2005 data is provisional.
Within the youth population, there is a difference between assault mortality rates for 15 to 19 year olds and those for 20 to 24 year olds, though the gap has closed since the 1980s.
In the period 1986-1990, the assault mortality rate for 20 to 24 year olds (4.9 deaths per 100,000 population) was more than three times higher than that of 15 to 19 year olds (1.4 deaths).
By the five year period from 2001 to 2005, the assault mortality rate for 20 to 24 year olds had lowered to 2.6 deaths per 100,000 population, and that for 15 to 19 year olds had risen slightly to 1.8 per 100,000.
| Assault deaths per 100,000 in age group | ||
|---|---|---|
| Five-year period | 15 to 19 years | 20 to 24 years |
| 1986–1990 | 1.4 | 4.9 |
| 1991–1995 | 1.4 | 3.6 |
| 1996–2000 | 1.6 | 2.3 |
| 2001–2005 | 1.8 | 2.6 |
Source: Ministry of Health, New Zealand Health Information Service.
Note: 2005 data is provisional.
