NZ suicide stats highest ever recorded

3News 6 October 2015
Provisional suicide rates have broken a grim new record in New Zealand having reached their highest level since they were first recorded.

New statistics released by Chief Coroner Judge Deborah Marshal today show 564 people committed suicide in the 2014/15 year. The suicide statistics were first recorded in 2007/08.

The suicide rate per 100,000 however, dropped below the 2010/11 and 2011/12 years to 12.27 compared to 12.65 and 12.34 respectively.

Judge Marshal says it is disappointing the number of suicides this year is 35 higher than last year.

“Over the last eight years I believe we’ve seen a shift in society’s preparedness to have a more open conversation about suicide, but we are not seeing any movement in what is an unfortunate static.

Suicide statistics for 2014/15:

  • Rise in male suicides from 385 last year, to 428, which is the highest number since the statistics began in 2007. However, by rate (18.96 per 100,000) it is the third highest since 2007;
  • Drop in female suicides from 144 last year to 136, which is the second lowest figure behind 134 (2007/08);
  • The age cohort with the highest number of suicides was the 20-24, with 61 deaths, followed by the 40-44 group with 58 deaths;
  • Male suicides made up 75.8 percent of the total suicides for the year. This 3:1 male to female suicide rate has been observed for most of the last eight years, apart from the previous two years, where the ratio was about 2.5:1;

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