NEW ZEALAND HAS HIGHEST CHILD SUICIDE RATE AMONG WEALTHY NATIONS: UNICEF

Thu 15 May 2025:

New Zealand has recorded the highest child suicide rate among 43 wealthy countries, and it ranks near the bottom in terms of youth mental health and well-being, said a UNICEF report released on Wednesday.

The latest UNICEF Innocenti Report Card 19: Fragile Gains—Child Wellbeing at Risk in an Unpredictable World ranked New Zealand 32nd out of 36 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and EU countries for overall child well-being.

The report card also revealed that New Zealand had the highest child suicide rate, with 17.1 per 100,000 children, nearly three times the average of the countries listed.

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Japan and South Korea also placed near the bottom in mental health, ranking 32nd and 34th, respectively. Australia was not included in the ranking due to a lack of mental health data.

Between 2018 and 2022, suicide rates among adolescents in Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand worsened by more than 5%, while Australia recorded a more than 5% improvement, the report said.

“The last five years have shown warning signs in deteriorating life satisfaction and falling academic skills in most countries,” it said. The report also noted a rise in childhood obesity.

The report “shows that the hard-won progress in child well-being in this group of countries is becoming increasingly vulnerable to global events and shocks.”

-Source: AA

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