Assault mortality

Sex differences

Young males, especially in the 15 to 19 age group, are more likely than young females to die as a result of assault. 

In the years 2001-2005, the rate for males aged 15 to 19 was more than three times higher than that for females (2.7 deaths per 100,000 population for males, in comparison with 0.8 per 100,000 for females). 

In the 20 to 24 age group, the male rate is still higher, but the difference is much smaller: 2.7 deaths for males and 2.5 for females in the period 2001-2005.

Five-year average annual assault mortality rates per 100,000 young people, by age and sex, 1986-2005
  Age 15 to 19 Age 20 to 24
  Males Females Males Females
1986-1990 1.9 0.8 7.3 2.5
1991-1995 1.7 1.1 4.5 2.6
1996-2000 1.7 1.4 2.6 2.1
2001-2005 2.7 0.8 2.7 2.5

Source: New Zealand Health Information Service, Ministry of Health. 2005 data is provisional.