Violence against youths costing $11.2b

Every hour 18 children and young people are subject to violence in NSW and it's costing the state $11.2 billion every year.

An estimated 154,302 cases of violence against people aged under 25 were recorded in a single year by the NSW Advocate for Children and Young People, according to a report released on Thursday.

Those instances of physical, sexual and emotional violence are not only impacting the lives of those suffering, they're also impacting on the state's economy - the report revealed.

Advocate Andrew Johnson says the report outlines the magnitude of violence against children and young people from a financial perspective.

"There is already strong recognition of the importance of this issue by the NSW government reflected in its reform agenda, but this is not a problem the government alone can fix," he said in a statement.

"It needs to be embraced as a mainstream issue by every single one of us. To help achieve that, it is essential that we fully understand the scale of the economic losses it causes."

Of the $11.2 billion the violence costs NSW $2.3 million is borne by the state's health, education, child protection, housing and justice systems directly.

Another $8.2 billion is borne by individuals and the broader community while $600 million is carried by the federal government.