In the US, nearly 10 million people aged 18 and older are victims of domestic violence each year, and around 2 million resulting injuries require medical attention. Abuse does not look the same for everyone, yet the risks stack up fast, from pregnancy to injuries that lead to painkiller use and repeat returns to the abuser. Here are the most telling abusive relationship statistics, including how often perpetrators never seek counseling and how frequently police are called worldwide.
Key Takeaways
- In the United States, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner
- Women aged 18-24 are 2.3 times more likely to experience physical domestic violence than women aged 45 and older
- Black women experience IPV at a rate 35% higher than the national average
- Domestic violence victims are 5 times more likely to need medical treatment
- 37.3% of women and 30.9% of men report IPV-related injuries needing medical care
- Abused women are 4 times more likely to use painkillers for injury relief
- Only 7% of perpetrators ever seek counseling voluntarily
- 85% of IPV victims return to abuser at least once due to lack of support
- Police receive 40 million domestic violence calls annually worldwide
- In the United States, approximately 10 million people aged 18 and older are victims of domestic violence each year
- Globally, nearly 1 in 3 women (30%) have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime
- In the US, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts
- 88% of physical abuse against women begins after they become pregnant
- Emotional abuse is used by 95% of abusers prior to other forms of abuse
- 93% of abusive men use threats to control their partners
Domestic violence is widespread, often unaddressed, and leaves victims needing medical care and support.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographic Statistics29 stats
01
In the United States, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner
02
Women aged 18-24 are 2.3 times more likely to experience physical domestic violence than women aged 45 and older
03
Black women experience IPV at a rate 35% higher than the national average
04
94% of abuse shelter residents are women
05
Lesbian women are nearly 2.5 times more likely to experience domestic violence than heterosexual women
06
Transgender individuals are 1.7 times more likely than cisgender individuals to experience IPV
07
In the US, 1 in 5 female high school students reports being physically hurt by a boyfriend in the past year
08
Native American/Alaska Native women experience violence at a rate 1.7 times higher than white women
09
Hispanic women are victimized by intimate partners at rates 0.9 times the rate of white women
10
Men aged 18-24 are 3.8 times more likely to be victims of dating violence than those aged 35+
11
40% of women in the US know someone who has been abused by a partner
12
Rural women experience domestic violence at rates 1.4 times higher than urban women
13
Pregnant women are more than twice as likely to be victims of homicide committed by a male partner than women who are not pregnant
14
Women with disabilities are 40% more likely to experience domestic violence than non-disabled women
15
Immigrants experience IPV at rates 1.5 times higher than US-born individuals
16
85% of domestic violence victims are women
17
Low-income women experience twice the rate of IPV compared to high-income women
18
College-aged women (18-24) experience the highest rates of IPV
19
Older adults (65+) represent 10% of domestic violence victims but are less likely to report
20
Bisexual women face IPV rates 1.8 times higher than lesbian women
21
Military women experience IPV at rates 1.3 times higher than civilian women
22
Women with children under 12 are 2 times more likely to experience severe IPV
23
Separated/divorced women are at 3 times higher risk of lethal IPV than married women
24
In the US, 49% of Hispanic women have experienced abusive violence by an intimate partner
25
Asian/Pacific Islander women experience IPV at rates similar to white women but underreport more
26
1 in 10 high school boys report physically abusing a girlfriend in the past year
27
Female veterans experience IPV at rates 1.4 times higher than male veterans
28
37% of domestic violence victims are partnered with high school dropouts
29
Women in construction trades face IPV rates 2 times the national average
Interpretation
Demographic Statistics Interpretation
Across these demographic statistics, the impact of abusive relationships is far from uniform, with rates as high as 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the United States, and notably higher risks for groups such as young women and Black women, showing that certain populations experience IPV at dramatically greater levels.
02 · Category
Health Impacts Statistics30 stats
01
Domestic violence victims are 5 times more likely to need medical treatment
02
37.3% of women and 30.9% of men report IPV-related injuries needing medical care
03
Abused women are 4 times more likely to use painkillers for injury relief
04
IPV leads to 2 million injuries annually requiring medical attention in the US
05
Depressed women are 1.5 times more likely to suffer IPV
06
17% of IPV victims suffer traumatic brain injury from abuse
07
Abused women have 16% greater risk of developing diabetes
08
PTSD prevalence among IPV victims is 31-50%
09
IPV victims are 3 times more likely to suffer depression
10
40-60% of battered women overused prescription drugs
11
Suicide attempts 4 times higher among abused women
12
Heart disease risk increased 70% in women exposed to IPV
13
25% of prenatal complications linked to IPV
14
Alcohol abuse 15 times higher in battered women
15
Central nervous system arousal symptoms in 45% of IPV victims
16
50% of homeless women/men primary reason is domestic violence
17
Abused girls 6 times more likely to become alcoholics/drug abusers as adults
18
80% of homeless mothers experienced violence by partner
19
IPV contributes to 20% of female ER visits
20
Dissociative symptoms in 35% of female IPV survivors
21
85% of children exposed to IPV develop behavioral problems
22
Children witnessing IPV 4 times more likely to develop aggression
23
Adult children of IPV 74% more likely to commit crimes
24
60% of child abuse perpetrators were sexually abused as children or abused partner
25
30-60% of IPV victims' children also abused or neglected
26
Only 34% of IPV victims receive medical care for injuries
27
70% of pregnant women experiencing violence also abuse alcohol/drugs
28
IPV survivors 2 times more likely to experience poor health 5+ years later
29
92% of women in shelters have PTSD symptoms
30
Anxiety disorders 3 times higher in IPV victims
Interpretation
Health Impacts Statistics Interpretation
Health impacts from abusive relationships are severe, with intimate partner violence driving about 2 million medically attended injuries each year in the US and leaving 37.3% of women and 30.9% of men reporting injuries that need medical care.
03 · Category
Intervention Statistics30 stats
01
Only 7% of perpetrators ever seek counseling voluntarily
02
85% of IPV victims return to abuser at least once due to lack of support
03
Police receive 40 million domestic violence calls annually worldwide
04
50% of homicide victims had protection orders against killers
05
80% of cities have insufficient shelter beds for victims
06
Only 20 states require arrest in domestic violence cases
07
75% of calls to domestic violence hotlines are from victims
08
Batterer intervention programs reduce recidivism by 33-42%
09
60% of family courts ignore evidence of domestic violence in custody
10
89% of district attorneys offices have no policy on handling abuse cases
11
Only 17 states have stalking laws including psychological aggression
12
1.5 million shelter beds needed but only 127,000 available yearly in US
13
70% of restraining orders violated by abusers
14
Hotline calls increased 30% during COVID-19 lockdowns
15
55% of priests encourage abused women to return to husbands
16
Victim service programs funded at $200 million federally, insufficient
17
90% of abusers test positive for substance abuse, but treatment rare
18
Preventive education reduces teen dating violence by 50-60%
19
83% of abusers control family finances, hindering escape
20
Legal aid helps 40% more victims leave permanently
21
Support groups increase victim safety by 65%
22
Batterer programs fail 60-80% without victim safety measures
23
40% of police families experience domestic violence themselves
24
Child protective services involved in 30% of IPV cases
25
Transitional housing needed for 57,000 women/children yearly
26
Counseling reduces PTSD symptoms in 70% of victims
27
Community awareness campaigns increase reporting by 25%
28
Mandatory arrest increases dual arrests in 30% of cases unfairly
29
Only 10% of abusers convicted serve full sentences
30
Victim advocates improve conviction rates by 50%
Interpretation
Intervention Statistics Interpretation
Intervention efforts fall far short because only 7% of perpetrators seek counseling voluntarily while 85% of IPV victims return to abusers at least once and just 20 states require arrest, showing that support and enforcement systems still do not effectively prevent repeat harm.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevalence Statistics30 stats
01
In the United States, approximately 10 million people aged 18 and older are victims of domestic violence each year
02
Globally, nearly 1 in 3 women (30%) have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime
03
In the US, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts
04
About 41% of women and 26% of men in the US have experienced some form of coercive control by an intimate partner in their lifetime
05
In England and Wales, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 to 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime
06
Worldwide, 38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners
07
In the US, more than 12 million people over the age of 18, excluding children under 18, experience intimate partner violence annually
08
48.4% of women and 48.8% of men in the US have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime
09
In Australia, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 16 men have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a current or previous cohabiting partner since age 15
10
In Canada, approximately 44% of women and 7% of men who had an intimate partner reported experiencing at least one form of IPV
11
In the EU, 22% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a partner since age 15
12
In India, 1 in 3 married women aged 15-49 report having experienced physical, sexual, or emotional spousal violence
13
In South Africa, 23.2% of women aged 18 and older have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence in the past 12 months
14
In the US, Black women are 35% more likely to experience domestic violence than white women
15
1 in 15 women and 1 in 150 men in the US are victims of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner annually
16
In the UK, domestic abuse affects over 2 million people annually
17
Globally, 736 million women—almost one in three (30%)—have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, sexual violence from a non-partner, or both
18
In the US, 35.6% of women and 28.5% of men have experienced IPV victimization
19
In Brazil, 10% of women aged 16-24 reported physical violence by an intimate partner
20
In Mexico, 43.9% of ever-partnered women aged 15+ have experienced some form of partner violence
21
In Russia, up to 16,000 women die annually from domestic violence
22
In the Philippines, 18.7% of ever-married women aged 15-49 experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence from a husband/partner
23
In Turkey, 38% of women have experienced physical violence at least once since age 15
24
In Egypt, 31% of ever-married women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence since age 15
25
In Nigeria, 30% of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence since age 15
26
In Kenya, 38% of women have experienced physical violence since age 15
27
In Bangladesh, 52.2% of ever-married women aged 15-49 have experienced spousal physical or sexual violence
28
In Ethiopia, 23.6% of women aged 15-49 experienced physical violence in the past 12 months
29
In the US, 91.8% of victims of domestic violence homicides are female
30
In the US, women account for 84% of those served by domestic violence shelters
Interpretation
Prevalence Statistics Interpretation
Across prevalence statistics, domestic abuse is far from rare with about 1 in 3 women worldwide experiencing intimate partner or non-partner sexual and physical violence and around 10 million adults in the United States affected by domestic violence each year.
05 · Category
Types Of Abuse Statistics29 stats
01
88% of physical abuse against women begins after they become pregnant
02
Emotional abuse is used by 95% of abusers prior to other forms of abuse
03
93% of abusive men use threats to control their partners
04
75% of domestic violence cases involve property damage
05
Stalking is reported in 76% of domestic violence cases before the couple separates
06
30% of IPV includes sexual assault
07
Coercive control affects 41% of women and 26% of men lifetime
08
Psychological aggression lifetime prevalence is 48.4% for women and 48.8% for men
09
Severe physical violence affects 22.3% of women and 14.1% of men lifetime
10
Contact sexual violence lifetime: 16.4% women, 8.0% men
11
67% of sexual assault victims in the military report stalking by abusers
12
Economic abuse affects 98% of abused women
13
89% of police-reported domestic violence incidents involve female victims
14
Animal cruelty is used in 71% of domestic violence cases to control victims
15
Digital abuse affects 26% of teens in relationships
16
Reproductive coercion experienced by 10.5% of women aged 18-44 ever
17
Verbal abuse precedes physical abuse in 95% of cases
18
Isolation tactics used by 92% of abusers
19
Threats of suicide by abusers in 25% of cases
20
Forced drug/alcohol use in 40-60% of abusive relationships
21
Cyberstalking in 19% of IPV cases
22
Minimization/denial by abusers in 80% of cases
23
Blaming victim for abuse in 78% of incidents
24
Use of children to control partner in 53% of cases
25
Sabotage of birth control in 37% of teen relationships
26
Financial control in 83% of relationships prior to homicide
27
Intimate partner stalking affects 9.2% of women and 2.5% of men lifetime
28
IPV victims lose 8 million paid workdays annually in the US
29
55% of maternal deaths in pregnancy/postpartum linked to IPV
Interpretation
Types Of Abuse Statistics Interpretation
Across types of abuse statistics, emotional abuse is the most common starting point with 95% of abusers using it first, and it is often followed by control tactics like threats in 93% of abusive men, showing how patterns of abuse typically escalate across multiple forms.
report visual · Breakdown
Who experiences intimate partner physical violence most often?
Women report higher lifetime experience rates than men, and severity is also higher for women.
35%
Black women experience IPV at a rate 35% higher than the national average
65%
Support groups increase victim safety by 65%
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Abusive Relationship Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/abusive-relationship-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Abusive Relationship Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/abusive-relationship-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Abusive Relationship Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/abusive-relationship-statistics.
Sources & references
17 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level